KARACHI, April 27: Participants of a seminar on Sunday called upon the Muslim countries to get rid of dictatorial and monarchical regimes, strictly adhere to democratic dispensation and disown the Jihadi outfits, so that they could face challenges coming in the wake of the US aggression on Iraq.
It was also held that the UN, despite being bypassed by the US, was still relevant and must be strengthened to play its role in the reconstruction of Iraq.
The seminar on the “World After US-Iraq War” was organized by the department of International Relations, University of Karachi, under its programme on peace studies. It was chaired by Brig (retd)) A.R. Siddiqui.
Former ambassador Shahid Amin, in his presentation on the diplomatic aspects of the US-Iraq war, emphasized the need for realism in analyzing the outcome of Iraq crisis.
He said the war on Iraq was deplorable because it was not sanctioned by the UN. But he pointed out that this was not the first time the UN had been bypassed; in Kosovo the US had by passed the UN to rescue the Muslims of that area and the former Soviet Union had also bypassed the UN in 1956 in Hungary, and in 1968 in Czechoslovakia.
He maintained there was no alternative to the UN whether it was the question of lifting of sanctions or the North Korean nuclear issue.
“A weak UN is sill preferable to a world without it,” he said.
Mr Amin also accused Saddam Hussain of killing over a million Muslims during the war against Iran and in Kuwait.
With regard to the perception that the US is targeting the Muslim countries one by one, he said the US had fought three wars with the support of the Muslim countries.
He said it was a misleading vision that the US was the enemy of the Muslim world whereas the fact was that Turkey was providing facilities to the US troops while Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait were playing host to them and Saudi Arabia and Jordan were passive players.
He further said that in the 1991 Gulf War the US was supported by Muslim countries, in 1999 it was supported by them in Kosovo and in 2001 Muslim countries were not opposed to the US action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.
He said that in view of the worldwide condemnation of the US attack on Iraq, Washington would hesitate to commit acts of aggression elsewhere, and perhaps the Palestinian issue would receive the attention it deserved.
“ if the Palestinians get statehood and recover their territory, that will be welcome,” he said.
He said that the war in Iraq was not a clash of civilizations, but it was also a reality that two Christian countries had prevailed over a Muslim country (though with the support of Muslim countries). Mr Amin was of the view that genuine democracy in Muslim countries might not be to the liking of the US as it might not suit its long-term strategic interests amid rising anti-Americanism.
He said the war on Iraq had also reflected the superficial rift in the Atlantic alliance which, he hoped, would soon be healed. But he expressed concern over the US threats to France.
Senior journalist Ghazi Salahuddin spoke on the media war coverage which he said was “most intense and not dominated by the western media alone.” He said the 24-hour channels generated mental fatigue and even alienation to the war coverage. He also referred to the bias in the coverage by some of the western media.
Mr Shahzad Manhood spoke on economic and technological implications of the war and maintained that the it was part of the overall US game plan conceived a long time ago to achieve world dominance.
He said economic resources and technological superiority gave Washington a massive edge over the rest of the world. He emphasized that to meet the challenges ahead Muslim countries must equip themselves with technology and economic strength.
Programme director, Prof Moonis Ahmar, dealing with the lessons learnt from the war, called upon Muslims to disown the elements within them who, he said, were a source of embarrassment and insecurity.
“The so-called Jihadi elements and suicide bombers have caused more pain and agony to Muslims than anything; they have not provided them relief from poverty and illiteracy,” he said, and added that Jihad should be waged against hypocrisy, corruption and other social evils.
“Muslims would continue to lag behind unless they achieve excellence in the world of knowledge. It is time we adopted logic instead of rhetoric,” Mr Moonis continued. He also emphasized the need for skillful diplomacy and statesmanship.
Naeem Ahmad’s paper dealt with the implications of the war for South Asia.
He held that the US concept of preemptive strike had provided a justification to other powerful states to use their power against weaker ones without UN approval.
He said what happened in Iraq would have far-reaching effects on Pakistani society and people were now wondering why only Muslim countries were being targeted by the US and why their rulers had always supported the US in its action against Muslim countries.
Ms Munizeh Zuberi highlighted the role of Iraq’s neighbours in the war and Ms Wajiha Khurshid spoke about the UN, the OIC and the Arab League.