LOYA JIRGA FOR AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFGHANISTAN
By an IPS Special Correspondent
KABOL 15 Jun. (IPS) In a gesture that surprised many observers at the ongoing Emergency Loya Jirga in Kabol, Hamed Karzai, the interim Prime Minister was the first to jump on his feet when a pro-Iranian Afghan cleric cheated the 1600 members assembly by calling on all those who wanted Islam be added to the name of the Afghanistan Republic to stand up.
Ayatollah Mohammad Asef Mohseni Qandahari, who is a Shi’a Muslim, had took the floor after Mr. Rassool Sayyaf, a leading commander, who had proposed that Mr. Karzai, who had been elected two days ago as the News Head of Afghan state, adopt the Shari’a, or the Islamic canons, as the basic laws of his future government.
But his suggestion had met with some protests, mainly from female delegates, some of them, like Ms. Sima Samar, the Women’s Affairs Minister in the interim government, subject of vitriolic attacks from fundamentalist delegates, who labelled her Salman Rushdie of Afghanistan, referring to the author of "The Satanic Verses", a book considered by Muslims as blasphematory and condemned to death by Iran’s late Ayatollah Khomeini.
"When Ayatollah Mohseni, who is a very close friend of the Iranian leader, Ayatollah Ali Khanmeneh’i, invited the delegates to rose up for the word Islam being added to the Republic of Afghanistan as a prefix, no one would dare to stay seated. Karzai was one of the first to stand and other delegates immediately followed him. Considering that as an approval, Mr. Mohammad Esma’il Qasem Yar, the president of the Emergeny Loya Jirga proclaimed that Mr. Mohseni’s proposal had been accepted and approved", the Iran Press Correspondent reported from the scene.
Qolam Aqa Shirzai, from Qandahar, was the only one who spoke against both proposals, saying one should not misuse the sacred name of Islam for materialistic aims.
Referring to the "havoc" and de-scaralisation the former regime of Taleban as well as those of neighbouring Iran and Pakistan, both Islamic republics, have brought to the "sacred name of Islam", Mr. Shirzai said Islam had been roughed enough by the existing Muslim governments in the region and it was not needed to add to it.
Pointing to the fact that Mr. Qasem Yar was misled, taking the assembly’s standing at the invitation of Ayatollah Mohseni as an approval of his suggestion by the delegates, a Western diplomat said anyway, this Emergency Loya Jirga has no such prerogatives as to defining the nature of the Afghan transitional government.
He also said not only Mr. Qasem Yar had not introduced the proposal, but also there had been no voting on the issue.
Asked way Karzai was the first to jump up, and not stayed seated, the same source said he might have done so knowing well that he could reject it latter on ground that it was not properly approved and therefore was illegal.
Started Tuesday, the Loya Jirga must normally end its session today, but odds are that it would be prologed for another day or two to allow Mr. Karzai to name his new ministers. ENDS ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF AFQANESTAN 15602