Islam On Line(Interview): What kind of a man is Mullah Omar?
Hamid Mir(Reporter who met Osama bin Ladin ofter Sept 11): Mullah Omar is a
real mujahid [fighter]. I think his stature is bigger than Osama. Osama
takes orders from him. Osama became hero because of Omar. He is simple man
who spent his most of time in mosque or on the battlefield. Mullah Omar is
convinced that America is not after Osama, they are after Islam. Omar told
me a year back that Osama came to Afghanistan in May 1996, Taliban captured
Kabul in September 1996 and American Assistant Secretary Of State Mrs. Robin
Raphel supported Taliban in November 1996. She was silent on Osama because
America wanted to use Taliban against China and Iran, when Taliban refused,
Americans created the issue of Osama bin laden.
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-READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH OSAMA BIN LADIN AFTER SEPTEMBER 11-
Interview with Hamid Mir: Bin Laden Biographer
By Ayub Khan
Hamid Mir, 36, is the editor of an Islamabad-based newspaper, the
Daily Ausaf. He started his journalism career 15 years ago and has
won several awards, including the Best Columnist award from the All
Pakistan Newspaper Society.
He has interviewed Osama bin Laden four times since1997 and has also
written bin Laden's only official biography, to be published at the
end of 2001. He was also the first person to receive a message from
bin Laden after the attacks on the U.S. on September 11th denying his
involvement.
In this exclusive interview with IslamOnline, Hamid Mir talks about a
variety of issues including the future of Taliban, Pakistan and bin
Laden:
IslamOnline: Do you think that the end of Taliban is near?
Hamid Mir: The end of Taliban is not near. I told BBC on 7th Oct that
Taliban will not collapse easily. Three weeks are passed. Americans
have failed to break Taliban. Taliban are moving their troops and
weapons in the mountains. They are planning for guerilla war. They
may lose some cities but they will continue their jihad. There will
be no peace for Americans inside and out-side the Afghanistan.
IOL: How strong is the Taliban's support base in Afghanistan?
HM: The support for [the] Taliban in Afghanistan is increasing day by
day. Blind use of military power by America is increasing the
political power of [the] Taliban. No anti-Taliban leader can enter in
Pashtun speaking areas.
IOL: How true are reports of large-scale defections from Taliban?
HM: Some of the Uzbek-speaking warlords defected in Northern
Afghanistan. They were not Taliban, they were allies, but more people
are defecting from Northern Alliance to Taliban.
IOL: Are there any rifts within Taliban leadership?
HM: There is no rift in Taliban. American and Pakistani intelligence
agencies organized a grand meeting in Peshawar on October 21st to
form a jirga [traditional meeting of elders] with defected Taliban
commanders. They were not able to break even a single Taliban
commander and the meeting was postponed. There are rifts within
Northern Alliance. [Burhanuddin] Rabbani is against [Mohammed] Fahim,
and Fahim is against Sayyaf.
IOL: What will happen in Afghanistan if Taliban are kicked out of
power?
HM: There will be no peace in Afghanistan if Taliban lose power.
Public is against America. You will see that superpower will be
humiliated in Afghanistan.
IOL: How well do you know bin Laden?
HM: I know him from last four years. I met him twice, spend many days
with him. He is not a scholar, he is a fighter. He wants to liberate
Palestine. He wrote many poems against Israel. He is a jihadi
[warrior] poet. His poems will come out very soon. I always ask him
difficult questions and he answers my questions with patience.
IOL: Do you think that bin Laden is behind the 9-11 attacks?
HM: I don't think a man living in [the] mountains, without any
communication facilities inside America can manage such kind of big
operation.
IOL: Why do you think that he is being considered as a hero in the
Muslim world?
HM: Most of the people like him because people are against America.
He is a hero by default. Many people don't share his ideology
[because he praised the September 11th attacks], but they are
supporting the enemy of their enemy, which is America.
IOL: Give us your personal impressions of bin Laden?
HM: He is a soft spoken, humble and simple man. He is very good in
his behavior. He doesn't behave like a terrorist.
IOL: When are you going to publish your book on bin Laden?
HM: My book about Osama will be published in December 2001. This is a
first book written after meeting him. It will be in English and Urdu
[official language of Pakistan].
IOL: What kind of a man is Mullah Omar?
HM: Mullah Omar is a real mujahid [fighter]. I think his stature is
bigger than Osama. Osama takes orders from him. Osama became hero
because of Omar. He is simple man who spent his most of time in
mosque or on the battlefield. Mullah Omar is convinced that America
is not after Osama, they are after Islam. Omar told me a year back
that Osama came to Afghanistan in May 1996, Taliban captured Kabul in
September 1996 and American Assistant Secretary Of State Mrs. Robin
Raphel supported Taliban in November 1996. She was silent on Osama
because America wanted to use Taliban against China and Iran, when
Taliban refused, Americans created the issue of Osama bin laden.
IOL: How long can the Taliban survive the military attacks?
HM: Taliban will not be routed. They can easily fight for more than a
year.
IOL: Does [Pakistani President Pervez] Musharraf have what it will
take to contain the pro-Taliban constituency in Pakistan?
HM: Musharraf cannot control pro-Taliban feelings in Pakistan. He is
playing with fire. He is pushing country towards civil war.
IOL: What do you make of charges by Western media which label the
madrassas [religious schools] as breeding grounds of fanaticism?
HM: Pakistani madrassas are not involved in fanaticism. What about
secular fanaticism. The girl students in France are not allowed to
cover their heads with scarf because they are Muslims, but Christian
nuns are not stopped to cover their heads. Now the English speaking
class in Pakistan is becoming pro-Taliban.
IOL: What kind of a future do you expect for Taliban, Pakistan and
bin Laden?
HM: They may be eliminated physically, but they will survive
politically. Dead Osama will be more dangerous, thousands of new
Osamas will born. The half of Pakistan will be converted into
Taliban. One day Afghanistan will become symbol of pride for the
Muslim ummah [nation]. [U.S. President George W.] Bush used the
word "crusade". This word came on his tongue because he hates
Muslims. He has started crusade in Afghanistan, it will end up in
America. His war is not against terror, this war is against error,
and we can find out the error in the Middle East, in Kashmir and in
Chechnya.
--- End forwarded message ---
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