IS CANADA "occupying" Afghanistan?
Absolutely, according to radical left-wing British MP George Galloway, who lashed out at Canadians in a speech at a conference of the Islamic Circle of North America and Muslim Association of Canada in Toronto on the weekend.
"I'm amazed that so many people in Canada believe they're not part of this crime," said Galloway, making his only Canadian stop on a North American tour promoting his new book, Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington. " Canada has sent an army of 1,000 soldiers to occupy the Muslim country of Afghanistan. Your ships in the Gulf and your soldiers in Afghanistan are doing the dirty work of George W. Bush and Tony Blair. They are freeing American ships and soldiers to go to Fallujah and massacre the people of Iraq."
And so on.
Lest anyone take Galloway's swill seriously - though you have to concede, it is amazing what some Canadians seem ready to believe - let's tackle the British MP's charges, first, and then provide some context about the controversial politician absent from the news report in The Sunday Herald.
Not so very long ago, Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban, extreme Islamic fundamentalists who banned education and employment for women and subjected them to extremely harsh restrictions (women caught wearing fingernail polish, for example, could have their fingertips chopped off; those convicted of adultery were executed in front of packed stadiums), brutally curtailed everyday activities for all, blew up 2,000-year-old Buddhist cliff carvings, despite worldwide outrage over the destruction of a global cultural treasure, and openly welcomed and harboured terrorists.
When those terrorists, led by Osama Bin Laden, attacked and killed thousands of innocent civilians in the U.S. on Sept. 11, Canada rightly joined nations around the world in condemning the perpetrators. And when the Taliban refused to turn over members of al-Qaida, this country was also right to join in ousting that heinous regime. Since then, the war-torn country - despite continuing efforts by terrorists and remnants of the Taliban to halt progress - has begun to heal, not least by emancipating women and again educating girls. A year ago, millions of Afghans braved thuggish threats by anti-democratic forces to vote in free elections. No one should naively believe that major challenges don't remain for Afghanistan, but try telling most Afghans that they're an "occupied" country. In May, the democratically-elected president of Afghanistan visited NATO headquarters to praise the organization for its vital assistance. "I particularly thank member states of the NATO countries (like Canada) for their contribution," said Hamid Karzai, "and the sacrifice that the soldiers, the sons and daughters of NATO and the countries have made in Afghanistan."
Doesn't sound much like an occupation to me.
Galloway, no surprise, is a darling of the extreme fringe of the anti-war movement, though he's so out there that many on the left want nothing to do with him. His take on Iraq is as hideous as it is hypocritical. Galloway praises the insurgency, a la Michael Moore and his idiotic "Minutemen" remark, ignoring the inconvenient fact that most victims of the terrorists and Baath loyalists have been Iraqis themselves. The Iraqi people yearn to be free and set their own course, Galloway blusters, but the insurgents he champions warned ordinary Iraqi citizens, on pain of death, not to vote in the general election last January. By the millions, they braved those threats and cast ballots.
Galloway's opinions on Iraq are, to say the least, suspect anyway. He fawned over Saddam after the first Gulf war. In a 1994 visit to Baghdad, Galloway told the brutal dictator: "Sir, I salute your courage, your strength your indefatigability. And I want you to know that we are with you until victory, until victory, until Jerusalem." And although Galloway won a libel suit last year against a British newspaper accusing him, based on suspect documents, of profiting from the UN oil-for-food program, a U.S. Senate investigation, using new evidence, has again linked Galloway to the scandal.
His opinion of other regimes is also telling. The fall of the Soviet Union, Galloway is quoted as saying, was "the biggest catastrophe of my life." This past summer, when Galloway went to Damascus, he told Syrians how "lucky" they were to have a leader like dictator Bashar al-Assad. According to the Arabic News (link missing) Galloway also met with Syrian journalists and explained that Israel's Mossad was in Iraq, training U.S. forces to demolish houses. Before Syria was forced to withdraw from Lebanon, Galloway was quoted as praising the occupation as a force for stability.
Anyway, you get the idea. For the full flavour of Mr. Galloway's warped "logic," I recommend this transcript (link missing) of the Sept. 14 debate in New York between Galloway and pro-war pundit Christopher Hitchens (who, incidentally, wiped the floor with the rogue MP).
Considering the context, then, Galloway's attacks on Canada are a sign that we did, and continue to do, the right thing in Afghanistan. Those who would champion the cause of terrorists, dictators and murderous zealots like the Taliban can heap all the abuse they like on this country. Frankly, it's a badge of honour.
