2A- The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 29, 2003 NATION/WORLD Afghans seek new legal role for Islam NEWS iN BRIEF t4 .,j, .-r 1 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A new constitution that will be put for- ward soon for ratification declares Afghanistan a Muslim state but stops short of imposing Islamic Shariah law, a contentious issue in this conser- vative nation, an Afghan official said yesterday. As they draw up a constitution aimed at unifying the fragmented nation, conservatives and secularists have been hotly debating how to enshrine Islam into law after years under the Taliban, who enforced a harsh version of Shariah that some Afghans recall with horror but others support. The hard-line Taliban militia banned women from working, barred girls from school and ordered men to grow their beards long and pray five 'times a day, as well as carried out exe- cutions and amputations for a range of crimes. Ratifying a constitution is crucial for BOS ENGLI LONDON SYDNEY DUBLIN AUCKLAND LOS ANGELES WASHINGTON, D.C. Afghanistan as it lays the foundations for its first democratic elections in decades, scheduled for June. The rebuilders of Afghanistan hope that vote will be a cornerstone for political stabili- ty after 23 years of war. A 10-day meeting of a 500-member loya jirga, or grand council, will debate and ratify the constitution. The gather- ing was pushed back by two months to December after President Hamid Karzai demanded more time to finish the document. After 11 months of work by dozens of constitutional experts and three months of public consultations in which 150,000 people submitted suggestions, a draft will likely be released this week. The question of Shariah has been "a huge struggle" in the work on the consti- tution, said an Afghan official involved in the drafting. "So far, the focus has been on trying to find a consensus," the official said on condition on anonymity. But, he said, "a AP PHOTO Afghanistan's government is expected to publicly release this week a draft constitution in which womens rights are guaranteed after years of discrimination against them. HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD BOGOTA, Colombia Bombkills 11 at Colombian nightclub A bomb blew up outside an upscale nightclub in southwestern Colombia yes- terday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 48. The attack cast new doubt on President Alvaro Uribe's promises to crush a 39-year rebel insurgency. The bombing was blamed on leftist rebels and appeared to be part of a nation- wide campaign of violence aimed at thwarting regional elections scheduled for Oct. 25. Rebels have assassinated politicians, disabled rail and communication links and blown up bridges. Revelers were heading home after a Saturday night out at a popular Bar Rosa in Florencia, 235 miles southwest of the capital Bogota, when the bomb went off. The device was attached to a motorcycle and sent debris flying into the air, shat- tering windows and cutting down passers-by. "This is an indescribable act of terrorism," Florencia police chief Rafael Parra said. "The bomb clearly targeted the civilian population." Parra blamed the attack on the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the nation's largest rebel group, and offered $17,500 for information lead- ing to an arrest. The wounded overwhelmed the city's only fully equipped hospital. Officials appealed for blood donations. "This is a small city that does not have the infra- structure to treat so many injured," Parra said. ROME Blackout in Italy affects nearly entire country 1 A storm-tossed tree branch that hit Swiss power lines helped trigger a massive blackout yesterday in almost all of Italy, trapping thousands on trains and forcing the pope to use a backup generator to proclaim his new cardinals. The outage, blamed for three deaths, underlined the dangers of Italy's reliance on imported power. It was Italy's worst power outage since World War II. Most of the country's 58 mil- lion people were affected - more than in North America's biggest blackout, which left 50 million people without power in Canada and the United States on Aug. 14. As in the North American blackout, there was initially confusion about the cause and finger-pointing among neighboring countries. With scant domestic supply and swelling public demand, Italy imports most of its electricity. The blackout began at 3:25 a.m., hitting all of Italy except the island of Sardinia. The lights came back on in northern Italy by early morning, in most of Rome shortly after noon, and in southern Italy late yesterday, according to television news reports. balance has been found." The document's preamble declares, "Afghanistan is an Islamic state" and TON UNIVERSITY SH SPEAKING PROGRAMS " Guaranteed internships from over 2,000 active sources " Customized internship placements; broad selection of courses " Guaranteed housing in furnished apartments or homestays " Easy credit transfer " Full-time administrative staff at all program sites " Exciting excursions and cultural immersion www.bu.edu/abroad Financial aid is available. says its laws must be in accordance with Islam, but it does not impose Shariah, the official said. Kidna pers roam Iraq's streets, U.S. gets blame BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - On a sweltering July afternoon, high school student Ali Bashir was chatting with friends after a chemistry exam when two men jumped from a white Mer- cedes, pointed pistols at him and forced him into their cac_. The 17-year-old was sped away, the victim of one of Baghdad's kidnapping gangs. Such abductions, unheard of under Saddam Hussein's iron-fisted rule, have flourished in the turmoil follow- ing the collapse of his regime, generat- ing fear in the capital - and anger at the United States. For five days, Bashir was heldin a tiny, bare room, where his kidnappers punched him in the face, thrust rifles into his mouth and fired weapons over his head until his family bought his freedom with $25,000 cash and aToy- ota worth $15,000. The family had to sell their home and borrow money to pay the ransom. They are now selling off their furniture to repay the loan. "I was thinking this must be the end, I will die," Bashir said of his ordeal. "My mother is sick and my father is Fdiabetic, so Iwas thinking what would happen to them when they learn their son had disappeared:' It is unclear how many people have fallen victim to ransom kidnappings in Baghdad since U.S. forces seized the city from Saddam's troops in April. Police suspect many of the abductions are neverreported. Abdel Jabbar Abu Nateya, a police officer with Iraq's Major Crime Unit, said 11 kidnappings were reported in western Baghdad in June, the only area for which fig- ures were available. By August, the figure had dropped to three, due in part to an Iraqi police crackdown on several major gangs. Staff Sgt. Michael Lawzano, a National Guardsman who works with the Iraqi police, said many of the kidnappers arrested ingthe August crackdown turned out to be ex-convicts freed last October when Saddam declared a general amnesty. However, it is the Americans - not Saddam - who get much of the blame. Many Iraqis accuse U.S. forces of failing to live up to their responsibility to maintain lawand order. VATICAN CITY Ailing pope appoints new church officials Amid concerns about his frail health, Pope John Paul II appointed 31 cardinals yesterday, acting months earlier than expected and strengthening his influence on the group that will choose his succes- sor. The new "princes" of the church include senior Vatican officials and diocesan leaders from 20 countries. They will receive their red hats at a ceremony known as a consistory on Oct. 21 - a date chosen to coincide with the week- long celebrations marking John Paul's 25th anniversary as pope. Several names mentioned in the Italian media as possible new cardinals weren't on the pope's list - including Archbish- op Sean O'Malley, who took over the Boston archdiocese to clean it up from the sex abuse scandal that rocked the American church. O'Malley didn't refer to the omission in a statement yesterday, instead congratulating the only American on the list, Justin Rigali, the archbishop- elect of Philadelphia. RAMALLAH, West Bank Palestinians rally, mark grim milestone Thousands of Palestinians marched through the streets of the West Bank yes- terday to support Yasser Arafat as they marked the third anniversary of the latest violent uprising, or intefadeh, which has claimed thousands of lives. The demonstration came as Palestini- ans appeared set to appoint a new Cabi- net filled with Arafat loyalists, despite efforts by the United States and Israel to sideline the Palestinian leader, whom they accuse of fomenting terror attacks. Also yesterday, members of Islamic Jihad said one of their members was responsible for a weekend shooting attack on a West Bank settlement that killed two Israelis - one an infant - but they stopped short of claiming responsibility. WASHINGTON White House under scrutiny after leak The Justice Department is investigat- ing allegations that White House offi- cials revealed the identity of a CIA agent whose husband had questioned President Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium from Africa. National Security Adviser Condoleez- za Rice said the matter was referred to the department and that she was unaware of any White House involvement. In an opinion piece in July in The New York Times, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson said he told the CIA long before Bush's State of the Union address that the British reports were suspect. A week later, syndicated columnist Robert Novak, quoting anonymous government sources, said Wilson's wife was a CIA operative working on the issue of weapons of mass destruction. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. m Boston University International Programs 232 Bay State Road Boston, MA 02215 617-353-9888 Fax: 617-353-5402 abroad@bu.edu U NIVE RS ITY: INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS An equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. Ic ennyUneon1 I and Ca m pUs Life present..... Margaret Cho Thursday, October 2, 2003 9 p.m., EMU Convocation Center Homecoming fun with the hilarious comedienne Margaret Cho. $5 EMU Students WWW.MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by stu- dents at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily's office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. 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