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From an interview with Tariq Ali by Mara Ahmed and Judith Bello, in Counter Punch
Mara Ahmed and I were given the opportunity to interview Tariq Ali when he spoke at Hamilton College in Upstate New York on November 11, 2009, during his recent speaking tour of the United States. Tariq, a native of Pakistan who lives in England, is a well known writer, intellectual and activist. He has traveled all over Southwest Asia and the Middle East while researching his books. Mara, who is working on a film highlighting the opinions of the Pakistani people regarding the current situation in Pakistan and the Western initiated ‘Global War on Terror’, had a lot of questions for Tariq about the internal state of Pakistan. I wanted to ask Tariq for his opinion about the effects of American foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what alternatives he thought might be available. –JB
Mara: What is the role of Islamophobia in the Global War on Terror. Many American war veterans have described the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as imperialistic, racist and genocidal. Your comments?
Tariq: Well, I think Islamophobia plays an important part in things, because it creates an atmosphere in which people feel, “Oh, we’re just killing Muslims, so that’s alright.” And this situation is becoming quite serious in the United States and in large parts of Europe, where people feel that the fact that a million Iraqis have died is fine because they’re not like us, they’re Muslims. So, Islamophobia is becoming a very poisonous and dangerous ideological construct which has to be fought against.
It sometimes irritates people but I do compare it to the anti-Semitism that existed in the 20s and 30s and 40s of the last century. And I do wonder whether all the education that people are being given, and rightly so, about the killing of the Jews and the Judeocide of the Second World War is having an impact. What sort of education is it if they can’t relate what happened then to some of the things that are happening now. Education which just centers on one atrocity and that’s all, where people feel very opposed to that [one atrocity], but they can support other atrocities, is in my opinion not a proper education. And some of the level of ignorant comment on Islam and the Islamic world in the United States is deeply shocking. That’s all it is. It’s ignorance.
Pakistan is facing a challenging task of history. Pakistani forces are fighting this war on four fronts, firstly Al-Qaeda, secondly local Taliban– mainly an uneducated lot, thirdly state sponsored terrorism. At this critical juncture of history if someone supports terrorists in the name of Islam, he is giving irreparable loss not only to Pakistan but also Islam.
The propaganda of proxy war should end now, its enough. Terrorist have no religion, they just aim to kill innocent people. They want to spread fear and harassment by bomb blast in bazaars, universities and roads. They can’t make us hostage. Nation must realize its responsibility now and back the Govt.
Pakistan Govt’s role in establishing the peace and saving motherland will certainly be remember as tremendous character of future Pakistan History. Political parties and people should try to back their forces while launching campaign against the militants if they want to root out the militancy.
Electronic media should play responsible part while giving correct picture, which should be helpful in creating stability and curbing the tendency of promoting terrorism in the country. This country gave us much now it is time to pay back.
It is fortunate that Pakistan has a Govt which is not playing double game on war against terror and committed to eliminate this menace. The history will always remember this commendable act of present Govt because terrorist wanted to take over Pakistan and make people of Pakistan hostage. We must endorse Govt for the integrity of Pakistan