KARACHI, June 17: Religious radicals may not succeed in staging a comeback in Afghanistan if the international community scales up assistance for the country still struggling with the legacy of the Taliban.

This was one of the ideas put forward by the Kabul-based programme manager of the Goethe-Institut, Ibrahim Hotak, during the concluding day of a three-day conference on “Common values between Islam and the West”, organized by the Goethe-Institut, Karachi. Mr Hotak made a presentation on “The role of the media as a possible accelerator between cultures.”

He argued that the resurgence of the Taliban could be avoided if the international community strengthened the hands of liberal and pluralistic forces in Afghanistan.

He recalled that the interest of the international media in Afghanistan waned sharply following the end of the cold war. According to him, the international media paid scant attention to Afghanistan that slowly descended into civil strife as the Taliban gained power and strength. However, he said, 9/11 put Afghanistan in the spotlight, with droves of newspapermen descending on the war-scarred country.

“The forgotten child of politics became the darling of the media,” he said.

“Hundreds of daily newspapers and monthly magazines are now available. In addition to state radio and television, which badly need reforms, there are a number of private TV channels and radio stations. However, the content of their programmes leaves a lot to be desired.”

Dr Khalid Zaheer of the Lahore University of Management Sciences read out a paper on “How can Muslims be friends with non-Muslims?”

He said: “The mention in the Quran of the requirement of fighting against Jews and Christians was not meant for Jews and Christians of all times. It was only meant for the Jews and Christians who existed at the time of the messenger whose very presence ensured that it became unmistakably clear to the receivers of the message brought by him that it was from God. Such a claim cannot be made about people belonging to any other era.”

Well-known journalist Ghazi Salahuddin, who conducted the afternoon session, underlined the need for creation of space for rational debate, a sine qua non for the establishment of a pluralistic society. He suggested that an impartial survey be conducted to find out the Muslim world’s perception of the West, in general, and of the US, in particular.

The president of the German-Educated Pakistanis Welfare Association, Khalid Badiuzzaman, said: “In the changed scenario after 9/11’s tragic happening, we feel it is a responsibility of every individual to remove misconception and misunderstanding and being German alumni, we feel still more responsible.”

Leading psychiatrist Dr Musarrat Hussain recapitulated the main points made by speakers during their presentations.