PERSPECTIVES

The Michigan Daily

Friday, May 6, 1988

Page 7

Muslim rebel's holy war in Afghanistan

Tamim Adnani is a Mujahideen
fighting in Afghanistan. Last week
on April 28, he visited Ann Arbor
to raise funds for the Mujahideen
struggle against the Soviets in
Afghanistan. "Mujahideen" is the
collective Arabic name for Muslim
fighters, and is the popular label for
the Afghan rebels fighting the
Soviet's Afghanistan invasion. He
is a Palestinian and currently holds
aposition asDirector of the Afghan
Mujahideen Services based in Pe-
shawar, Pakistan. He was inter-
viewed by Muzammil Ahmed, a
Daily Opinion editor.
Daily: You said you were born
in Jerusalem, and you still maintain
strong ties with your homeland:
what's a Palestinian doing in
Afghanistan?
Adnani: Palestinians are mak-
ing jihad [holy war] in Afghanistan.
We are in Afghanistan not because
we are Palestinian, but because we
are Muslims. This is an Islamic ji-
had in Afghanistan, it is not a na-
tional jihad. And under Islam,
Muslims are all one nation. And
regardless of the passport - this is
nonsense - we do not recognize
nationalities in Islam.
Our nationality is Islam, and we
are to support our brothers and sis-
ters in Afghanistan by ourselves
and make jihad with them and sup-
port them with our money. Also,
this is a good chance for us to be
trained for jihad when we go back
to Palestine later. We have been
trained well, and we are able to
fight the Israelis and get back our
land, inshallah [if Allah wills].
D: Is the Mujahideen Services
connected with any particular Mu-
jahideen group in Afghanistan?
A: No, it is with all the groups.
We are not with one against the
other, we are with all Mujahideen
because mainly we are all Arabs. It
is our duty to coordinate among all
Mujahideen and to unite them to
make then feel they are all one
team.
D: According to the papers there
is a lot of friction between the
various Mujahideen groups.
A: Don't believe what the papers
say - they exaggerate about this.
Ideologically, there is no difference
at all. We have the same ideology,
the same thinking, we are all from
the Islamic movement; it is only
just a difference in opinions about
some things. This doesn't matter at
all, believe me. I know this. They
have all agreed to continue jihad
against the communists - not
only the Russians - and they will
continue jihad even after the Rus-
sian withdrawal.
D: How do the Soviets feel
about you?

A: I was on the battlefield many
times, alhumdulillah [praise be to
Allah], we shared in many battles,
and that's where Allah is with us.
[We] were against Russians or
Afghan communists who outnum-
bered us in numbers and in
weapons, but still we won because
this was the will of Allah.
When we fight the Russians,
they admit it themselves that they
are very much afraid of the Mu-
jahideen. The Russians fight for
life, and we fight for death, because
as Muslims, if we are killed we go
to jannah - to paradise. We are not
afraid of jannah, we are seeking this
paradise. And they are afraid, they
want to escape. Their feelings when
they see the Mujahideen - they

have fear in their heart because the
Mujahideen say "Allahuakbar" [God
is great].
A Soviet officer [was asked on
Russian television] why they could
not beat the Afghanis as [they] did
in Czechoslovakia and Hungary in
one day; he said, "we can face the
Afghanis but they have one weapon
we have nothing against, this
weapon is called allahuakbar. When
we hear the Afghanis - the Mu-
jahideen - saying allahuakbar, we
urinate on ourselves." Allahuakbar,
they urinate. They can't control
themselves, that means they are in
great fear.
D: What do you think of the re-
cent Soviet proposal to pull out
and the United States' insistence on

continuing supplying aid to the
Mujahideen?
A: Well, I think the Russians
are really going to withdraw be-
cause they are losing. It's costing
them $43 million a day just to stay
in Afghanistan. So I think they are
really pulling out, they are with-
drawing, but they will continue
supporting the communist regime
in Kabul.
D: So they're insincere about
cutting off supplies to...
A: No, they are not serious.
They won't cut supplies, I'm sure
they won't. But in a way, nobody
can control the borders. But inshal-
lah, the Mujahideen are not worried
because they take this as ghanima
[booty]- they seize this and cap-


GR*

,,"". GIL Ar.! - .-, .1

ture all the things, you know, sup-
plies that the Russians are sending
to the communists.
D: How much aid do the
Afghans get from other countries,
especially the United States?
A: You mean the Mujahideen?
D: Yes.
A: As far as I know, the Mu-
jahideen are not getting anything
from the United States. Some of
the Afghanis called "rebels" are
getting help from the United States.
The rebels are those who fight na-
tional-wise not religious-wise.
They are ready to fight just to kick
the Russians out; this is something
else. The Mujahideen are fighting
for the sake of Islam, for an Islamic
regime in Afghanistan. They are
not getting any help as Mu-
jahideen... Even the Stinger mis-
siles we use are paid for at the local
market for $70,000 each. Seventy,
not 17.
D: Is there friction between the
Mujahireen [the nationalists] and
the Mujahideen? Some time ago
there were reports of seven French
refugee workers who were kid-
napped, possibly as a result of this.
A: It is possible. Sometimes,
yes, there is some talking together
or sometimes they are nervous, but
normally, with the efforts of good
people, they are trying to minimize
the differences, and trying to make
the seven groups, including even
the three who are national fighters
or freedom fighter as you call them,
not really Mujahideen.
D: How do the Afghan refugees
themselves feel about which group
they support most?
A: Well, they support all the
groups of Mujahideen; some peo-
ple belong to this group, some
people belong to another, and so
on. But since all the groups are
seeking jihad, it doesn't matter
which group they support.
D: If the Russians said you can
have your own government, would
you be willing to form a coalition
group with the nationalist groups
for the sake of ending the war so
the refugees can go back?
A: Yes, we don't mind this as
long as we have the majority, but
not with the communists.

SEE? ALL. WE NME
WAS AN NWRDMATE

Fzi Jtsmt9sao,

To the Daily:
Appalling, disgusting, embar-
rassing- these words represent
some of my lingering impressions
of last Saturday's University of
Michigan Commencement cere-
mony. As an alumnus and doctoral
candidate at the University, I was
looking forward with pride to an
inspiring ceremony in which stu-
dents- including my daughter-
would be honored as they joined the
ranks of Michigan graduates. In-
stead, from the opening proces-
sional, I was confrontedyith rude{
and.degrading student behsvior,


Sitting near the LSA student degree to Jeane Kirkpatrick, etc.,
section, I found it impossible to but I believe my point has been
hear or observe the ceremony. What made. University officials must an-
I thought would be a joyous and alyze this problem and take appro-
respectful event turned out to be a priate steps to ensure that future
spectacle of rude, discourteous, and commencement ceremonies will re-
generally rowdy behavior on seats flect the honor, dignity and tradition
(blocking our view), popping that the University of Michigan de-
champagne corks, waving flags, serves. -Dennis Travis
cursing, and generally "raising May 4
hell."
Such behavior continued as The Daily "Perspectives"
speakers (including the University
President and guest keynoter) at- and input. If you want t
tempted to deliver their messages. editorial in the paper, co
The keynote speaker, Marshall D. happened on campus or it
Shulman, closed by indicating that vent your frustrations, wr
the last time he received such a re- THE DAILY PER
ception was when he was in the
Soviet Union. 420 MA
I could go on with descriptions of A2, MICH
being sprayed with champagne, of a or drop off your letter at
{ student demonstrationprotesting Building, Second Floor.
the awardnQ pf n hpn ra .1 w.

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