UN told not to bow to U.S. pressure on Iraq
UN told not to bow to U.S. pressure on Iraq
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Muslim scholars urged the United Nations on Friday not to comply
with the much-condemned desire of the American government to
launch military strikes on Iraq, in order to restore the world
body's credibility in creating and upholding world peace.
They said that in dealing with the issue of Iraq peacefully,
the UN must avoid being dictated to by the U.S. government,
widely known for its powerful control over the world
organization.
"It's high time for the UN to prove to the world that it is
really not an international institution that can be dictated to
by the American government," Azyumardi Azra, rector of the Syarif
Hidayatullah State Islamic Studies (UIN) in Jakarta, told The
Jakarta Post.
"The UN should strive to maintain its integrity and
credibility as so far it has often been criticized for siding
with and caving-in to pressure exerted by America," he added.
He said the UN should sincerely consider various possibilities
of destruction if it endorses the American plan to attack Iraq
and topple its strongman ruler Saddam Hussein.
Azyumardi was responding to a statement on Thursday by U.S.
President George W. Bush who challenged the UN to strip Iraq
"immediately and unconditionally" of weapons of mass destruction
and warned that the government of the world's only superpower
would take unilateral action against Iraq if the world body
failed to act or Baghdad refused to disarm.
Azyumardi warned that if the U.S. goes ahead with its planned
military operation against Iraq, it would only further encourage
terrorism, hatred and enmity against the West and America in
particular.
"Thus, the UN has to prevent it whatever the reason is. Even
though Saddam Hussein is suspected of possessing weapons of mass
destruction, this cannot justify any plan to attack Iraq," he
added.
Similarly, a researcher with the Indonesian Institute of
Sciences (LIPI) Muchtar Pabotinggi said that the potential
American strikes on Iraq were unacceptable and that the world had
to prevent it.
"All sane countries should press and remind America of its own
principles that we cannot take drastic action to kill anyone
while there is still a modicum of doubt," he added.
Noted American Muslim scholar Mahmoud M. Ayoub, a professor of
Islamic studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, said he
believed the UN would turn down the U.S. proposal.
"The UN as I see it is unlikely approve the U.S. plan to
attack Iraq. It would be more likely and prudent to take its time
in convincing Iraq to accept international weapons inspectors.
"The problem is that Baghdad suspects these inspectors of
actually playing a role of spies for America and Israel in Iraq.
One has only to look as far as the case of American inspector
Scott Ritter. That's why Iraqis are reluctant to accept these
inspectors unconditionally," he said.
Ayoub said should America and its Western allies want the
whole Middle East area free from weapons of mass destruction,
they should take them out of the hands of everybody, including
Israel.
"Israel has both nuclear and biological weapons. But nobody
talks about it. It is ignored," he added.
Ayoub said the Muslim world should disassociate itself
completely from the American plan. "They, including Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and Kuwait, should not allow America to use their sovereign
nations as military bases to attack Iraq," he said.
He asked Indonesia to play an active, important role in
finding a solution to the Middle East conflict.
"Indonesia must not become too close to America so that other
countries will not suspect Indonesian's neutrality and commitment
to help other Muslims," he added.