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| Muslim Reaction to Strikes on Taliban |
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TUE, OCT 09, 2001
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Muslim nations reacted to the air strikes with a mixture of outrage and appeals for calm.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the Northern Alliance, Afghanistan's opposition should not try to take advantage of the U.S. military strikes against Taliban.
He said he believed only a broad-based, multi-ethnic government could succeed in Afghanistan if Taliban is ousted from power. According to Pakistan's TV network, Musharraf said he believed former Afghan King Zahir Shah has a role to play in helping form a unified government. He said that the U.S. military strikes need to be short and targeted on bin Laden's terrorist network. Musharraf also expressed Pakistan's concern over the millions of refugees in his country and pledged the cooperation of the world community.
At the same time, anti-U.S. demonstrations have been held in Pakistan's major cities.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Monday that his government does not support the attacks because innocent people would be killed and terrorism would not be wiped out.
Turkey's government has allowed the U.S. and British warplanes to use a base at Incirlik in the country's southeast. Twenty galaxy planes were seen taking off from the base after the Coalition strikes began.
In Gaza, on Monday, a few hundred Palestinian supporters of the militant organisation Hamas disobeyed a Palestinian ban on rallies in support of Osama bin Laden. Witnesses said Palestinian police stopped the rally.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein condemned the U.S. attacks. He called them "aggression" against Afghanistan. He also warned that U.S. "aggression" might spread to other countries.
Indonesia, with the world's biggest Muslim population, expressed its concern over the Coalition attacks in Afghanistan. The Indonesian Ulamas Council and the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama strongly condemned the Coalition attacks, saying they manifested the arrogance of the U.S. and its allies. The Indonesian government asked the United nations to carry out its duties in restoring peace.
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