The head of General Afghan Clergies Council, Mawlavi Qeyammudin Keshaf, along with some other religious scholars from Nangarhar province, in a meeting with President Karzai has asked him to get the United States provide insurance that desecration of any kind would not be repeated once again. They also appreciated Mr. President for his efforts to bringing peace and stability through peaceful and diplomatic means. While strongly backing the peace process, they called for handover of Bagram prison as soon as possible too.
On the other hand, President Karzai as usual received them warmly and emphasized on the role of religious scholars in bringing peace and stability. He said that Mullahs play constructive role in the society through preaching brotherhood and fraternity according to Islam points of view. He added that religious scholars or Ullama have huge influence among common people and they can play key role in state building and peace process.
Of course no body doubts about the role of religious scholars and their status among people. The question is would they back government policies and try hard to raise civilians against the so-called Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants? In another word, how much president himself is optimistic about receiving support from religious scholars?
I have already written a lot about the issue and provided explanation about concept of Mullahs from democracy and human rights. With all due respects to religious scholars, it should be noticed that they could not did not end violence and bloodshed during years of civil war. Definitely there were religious scholars holding arms against other rival groups, and branding them anti religion and anti Islam. It is not a baseless claim just putting a glimpse to events before 2001, the reality would be revealed. In addition, it is largely believed if religious scholars stand against insurgency jointly, militants have been already eliminated, because they really have especial status among common people.
Meanwhile, It should be noticed that we do have had great scholars who always stood against the so-called fratricide. Unfortunately some lost lives over opposing this that and Mojaheedin groups.
Anyhow, in this article I do want to point finger or flatter in favor of this and that. I want to do is explaining about meeting of some scholars and their demands.
As I already noticed that they asked Mr. President to take insurance from the United States that such event may not be repeated once again. And secondly, the Bagram prison should be handed over to Afghan National Security Forces as soon as possible.
About the second, it has become a long time that US and Afghan officials are negotiating of terms and condition of handover. Perhaps, the United States is also not much interest to keep the prison it wants insurance that the key figures of Al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners should not be released. Yet there is no confidence over the ability of government to protect the prison as we witnessed mass escape of prisoners from prisons under the control of the government. So, the Bagram prison will be handed over in the right time whether scholars demanded or not.
Regarding the first issue—taking insurance from the US——is something to be discussed in detail. Definitely this demand comes after last week's unfortunate incident.
And of course it was not the first time. In 2011 an unknown poster put in fire some copies of holy Koran in the United States as he viewed the holy book containing radical teachings which preach tension and extremism.
When the news released, the action was widely criticized. American officials too asked him to be responsible and respect other religions.
Efforts were made to stop burning and even top American officials strongly criticized him. But nothing changed because no body got him stop. Clearly, Obama's administration opposed the action in the strongest possible language. The action also stoke wide spread discussion among think-tanks across the globe. As usual, intellectuals were divided sharply as some support the action on the basis of freedom of expression. While others strongly opposed the notion arguing that a line should be drawn between desecration and freedom of expression.
Anyhow what is noticeable is this that there is no law in the US to prevent such an action if possibly take place in the future. Thus, giving insurance that such an action would not be repeated in the future is some thing that looks legally hard, if not impossible.
On the other hand, President Obama in a letter sent to President Karzai apologized from Afghan people. He expressed deep regret over the incident and promised that the incident would be investigated.
The incident has remained still vague. It is not clear whether the incident was intentional or not. NATO officials have said that they would investigate the incident and said perhaps the copies of holy Koran were among piles of papers contained radical teachings and codes for communication with prisoners.
The most unfortunate thing is the violence which broke out after the incident. Around thirty people were killed and many more injured. Why the life of Afghan citizens has become so valueless? Religious scholars should have calmed down people instead of stoking their tension further till the incident was clarified whether that was intentional or not. Moreover, they could support peaceful protests across the country which would have led our thirty lost brothers to live their lives and reflect their abhorrence from those behind blasphemy. In such a case, the guilty also may receive due punishment.
But unfortunately the situation got tense as demonstrators tried to storm NATO and UN compounds. As result, Afghan security forces fired and bloods shed in streets of Kabul and many other provinces.