| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Islamic Scholars Show Divide Over BSA |
| 2014-01-09 |
| [Tolo News] Despite the Islamic scholars represented at the Loya Jirga in November voting to approve the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), on Friday it was reported that a number of them expressed opposition to the deal and encouraged anti-government sentiment as Kabul and Washington continue to hash out the final details. "You warn us that if they leave Afghanistan, religious wars will begin, but we assure you that we will stop this trick of yours," an Imam named Said Farooq Hussaini said on Friday during prayer. Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella grabbed the cocoanut cream... the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs emphasized that 80 of the total 2,500 participants in the Advisory Loya Jirga were Islamic Scholars, and by an overwhelming majority they gave a positive vote for the security pact, which would ensure a close military patnership between the U.S. and Afghanistan post-2014. Ministry officials said turban scholars spoke out on Friday, instructed by interests in neighboring countries. "A number of the Scholars talked against the signing of this agreement, and this is their personal opinion," Deputy Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs Daye-ul-Haq Abedi said. "I am sure that this is due to influence of larger powers, there are a number of scholars influenced by foreign countries where they have studied and have a more fundamentalist view." In contrast, the Ministry maintained that many scholars are in fact in favor of the accord. "Eighty of the religious scholars that participated in t the Advisory Loya Jirga had views that were obviously positive," Deputy Minister Abedi said. "In the mosques that we have closely studied, most of the Mullahs were for signing the BSA." "Afghanistan relations with a number of countries in the world has importance for survival, from security point of view, peace point of view, economic and trade point of view and so on," a religious scholar named Hedaytullah Hedayat said. "Our scholars should talk from a perspective where they should consider the gratification of the ruling system...gratification of the Afghan nation and its betterment; keeping good international relations won't harm Islamic values at all." Yet over 100,000 mosques are said not to be under the control of the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs. In these places Mullahs can give any speech they like. There are 160,000 mosques in the country, of which, only 52,000 are registered with the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs. And only 5,000 of those are closely monitored by the Ministry. According to officials, over 1,000 Mullahs are accused of having relations with the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda network. |
| Posted by:Fred |