Letters

Racism at root of Afghanistan problems

English Professor Proma Tagore’s meandering article in your May 9 issue (“Waking to September 11”) does contain one evident error. The claim that "violence and atrocities, particularly for the people of Afghanistan" increased after September 11, 2001 seems false in the context of the apparent theme of her articlecombatting racism, defined broadly.

In fact, racism and other forms of collectivism were the root of the problems in Afghanistan which fostered the terrorist acts of war of September 11. The Taliban suppressed other tribes, women, and anyone not practising their branch of Islam. The Taliban killed war widows to avoid feeding them. Earlier, the Marxist USSR ruined the country in an attempted territorial control grab, taking such equality actions as mining farmers’ fields so they could not grow food.

The military action after September 11 is an attempt to free Afghanistan by helping set up good government, one that does not harbour terrorists, one that has much more freedom and justice than under the Taliban. That hardly fits Tagore’s apparent negative thesis.

Societies that value individual freedom, as Canada largely does, create abundance for humans, foster peace, and facilitate treating each individual fairly. Tagore benefits from that. I hope she understands which ideas provide a foundation to build on, and which are evil.

Keith Sketchley, Saanich, B.C.