On June 11, 2009, the Leading Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan issued a statement in response to U.S. President Barack Obama’s June 4, 2009 "Address to the Muslim Nations" from Cairo. Following is the full text of the declaration, entitled "Regarding Obama’s So-Called Speech Addressing Islamic Nations," in the original English as posted on the Emirate’s website: [1]
"In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
"The American president Obama, since his election campaign and after being elected, has been attempting to restore the image of Americans, as the Americans have lost their credibility. That is why now Obama turns to the Islamic world to visit and convince them. The Western media has, for the last so many weeks, been portraying Obama’s address as a way to win the hearts and minds of the Muslims.
"On Thursday afternoon, from Cairo, in his own words, he quoted his speech as an (Address to the Muslim Nations). [However,] there was nothing in the speech which could reduce and eliminate the extreme hatred and lessen the gaps between the Muslims and the U.S.
"Although he spoke for 48 minutes, he was unable to convey a true positive message to the Islamic nations. He spoke most of the time on politics, wrapped in clichés, and if we look objectively or in totality the whole speech was unexpected and was against the whims and desires of Muslims. He did not speak about the oppressing policies, the practical and real change, as any such thing that could be labeled as real positive change for the Muslim world.
"The Leading Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan considers Barack Obama’s address to the Muslim Nations as a sequential continuation of their previous policies and declares the following points accordingly:
"1 - The U.S. president claims he has good intentions and has tolerance for the Muslims in general, while his troops in occupied Afghanistan and Iraq are busy with brutal killings, torturing, arresting, and filling the prisons. Their rights are being ignored and they don’t have the luxury of defending themselves. Some are martyred in monstrous and humiliating ways, and are put to the most hateful detentions. When you look at the Americans from this barbaric and humiliating perspective, the Obama speech is nothing more than playing with words, and nothing more than that.
"2 - Barack Obama in his meaningless speech, without any real proof, justified the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq as a legal action taken by the U.S. He called the ongoing efforts of their crusaders troops against these two Muslim countries as a legal way of protecting U.S. national interests, whereas per accepted national and international norms they are not a legal way of protecting the American interest. Violating the freedom of people, mass murdering, and the atrocity of invading countries cannot be labeled as legal and acceptable at all.
"3 - Barack Obama, by his cunning and his political abilities, is trying to instigate malice and jealousy among the Muslims and among the Muslim nations, in order to cultivate a culture of disagreement and conflict among them. Mujahidin are the main securing force of Muslim nations, and are grown with the consent and support of the Muslim nations. He tried to create dissension among the ranks of the Muslims so they can fight each other, and he can misuse that [the tensions] in line with his own interests, but the Muslims are bonded together by a religious belief system. These bonds are not so loose that Obama can shatter them with a few words. Today, all the awakened Muslims are participating in different ways in Jihad (fighting in the way of Allah). The U.S.'s 'war against the Mujahideen' is war against Islam and the entire Muslim nations.
"4 - He claimed that the Americans have no interest in staying long-term in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is not in favor of having permanent army bases. He also claimed that they have no intention to impose their rules on others. Americans completely and sternly disown all the realities and incidents that are going on in these areas. Americans in Afghanistan are constructing huge air and ground military bases; until now they have established 12 new military air bases, which can entertain more than double of their current needs. The ongoing construction of such a huge number of bases and airfields, plus the construction of so many different administrative buildings, fulfills the need of the current forces and [leaves room for] newcomers. These facts indicate that the Americans are dreaming of a long-term stay and long-term occupation in Afghanistan, and are deploying more troops. The world in general and the regional countries in particular must act to avoid and defuse their evil aims, and be aware and conscious of what they are doing on ground.
"5 - Obama said that the continuation of the Afghan war is a challenging and a politically difficult task, which is why if a trusting peaceful atmosphere could be created in the territory, the American troops would leave Afghanistan happily. It is funny that he relates their invasion to peace in the region, while the main cause of trouble and current violence is their own presence. As long as U.S. troops are present in Afghanistan, the resistance will continue. If Obama really wants peace and security in the region and in Afghanistan, he must end his illegal military invasion and presence, in order to pave the way for peace and security. We trust that if the foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the Afghans will have no intention to harm any country in the world, nor will we allow our soil to be used against any country.
"6 - The issues of the Middle East, in particular discussion over the Palestinian issue, was another part of Obama's address to the Muslim world. He tried to portray the Muslims' psychology towards Israel, claiming that they are innocent, oppressed, and have a right to be a nation. He intended that the Muslims in general and Palestinians in particular should accept and recognize their existence, rights, interest, and role.
"He recollected the factious stories of Holocaust and the genocide of six million Jews, but ran over the 70-year history of the Palestinians, whose fate has been to pass each second of their lives undergoing regular genocide. He also recommended that the Arab leaders build good relations with Israel. But he didn’t speak about the poor Ghazan people, and how to provide medical aid and food to them; he didn’t speak about the blockade. This shows that he has not come with a peace offer of building bridges, but that he wanted to convey his arrogant thoughts and advise the Muslims how and what to do in order to protect and safeguard the joint U.S.-Israel interests.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes that until the main reasons of the abovementioned issues are not rooted out by considering a true workable solution, arrived at via an honest review of U.S. policies, hatred against the U.S. will rise tremendously among common Muslims.
"Under the real circumstances, Obama's speech to the Muslim world is indeed another unworkable attempt at misleading Muslims. We, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, call on all the world's weak and oppressed Muslims to stand for their lands and for their holy places, to defend them and fight this American occupation and invasion through Jihad, and to be steadfast.
"Continue fighting these unbelievers until our true freedom, rights of independence, and self-governance are secured and achieved.
"[Issued by] Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan"
Endnote:
[1] www.alemarah1.org, Afghanistan, accessed June 12, 2009. The text has been lightly edited for clarity.
