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by Lynn Ockersz

The killing of fifteen Christian worshippers recently at a church in the Pakistani town of Bahawalpur by suspected religious hardliners points to sinister attempts by vested interests to give the turmoil in Afghanistan a much-feared religious colouration.

The possibility of a religious dimension emerging in the US-led military onslaught on Afghanistan should have been on the minds of Western decision-makers.

The fact that the developments flowing from the September 11th terror attacks in the US are now being seen in some quarters as a religious confrontation proves the injudiciousness of the US and Britain favouring mainly the military option in Afghanistan.

Could this be the opportunity fanatical "holy men" and religious zealots have been waiting for? Last week we had the opportunity to indicate how the insecurity of various kinds being experienced by the Afghan civilians and the disruption of their lives could leave them exposed to the misleading conscientization efforts and fundamentalist propaganda of their ruling elites - in this case hardline clerics. Well, continued exposure to Western bombing raid and the loss of innocent civilian lives could make the Afghans increasingly vulnerable to fundamentalist propaganda and compel some of them to conceive of the Western military operation as "a Christian crusade" against Islam.

This is how a report telecast by Qatar's al-Jazeera TV chose to put it. Quoting what it said was a letter by Osama bin Laden himself, public was called on to be alert to a "Christian crusade" in Afghanistan.

Whether a letter of this kind was written by the elusive bin Laden or not, may not be to the point. What should be noted is that an attempt is being made to stir religious strife and this will have worldwide repercussions if not defused in time and effectively.

Some states in Asia are already witnessing violent anti-US demonstrations and the misconception that the military operation in Afghanistan is a religious crusade will spread to the degree to which the innocent are made to suffer in Afghanistan.

From this point of view, the killing of worshippers at a church in Pakistan should be considered a grim portend.

Given the persistence with which the West is pursuing the military option in Afghanistan, the possibility is great of the main religious division flowing from the Afghan crisis deepening worldwide.

Germ warfare and Anthrasc attacks could be only one of the options available to hardline anti-Western opinion. Rising desperation among self-styled leaders of those who feel they are being needlessly attacked and oppressed could lead them to try out even more dangerous options on Western civilians in particular.

The possibilities are both numerous and grave.

Some sections of the Western media are, fortunately, giving their publics a fairly accurate picture of developments in Afghanistan and a positive and heartening development is the spreading and consolidation of a peace movement on Afghanistan in the West.

These opinion-making groups are reflecting a healthy concern for the plight of the Afghan people and recent reports of the bombing of the Afghan village of Karam, in which 200 villagers are believed to have died, should have had a stirring impact on the Western conscience.

An increasingly growing and dynamic peace movement in the West is one effective means through which Western decision-makers could be made to realise the short-sightedness of their policy on Afghanistan. This would happen to the degree to which the Western media cover Afghanistan with the required moral sensitivity.

Meanwhile, the need is great for a coming together of moderate Arab and Moslem minds on the Afghan issue. In as much as peace-loving sections of Western publics must bring pressure on their leaders into seeing the futility of continuing the war in Afghanistan, their counterparts in the relevant states of Asia should bring moral pressure to bear on their ruling and power elites to see the error of their ways.

The moral that should stir consciences on both sides of the divide is as follows: "Those who live by the sword, die by it."

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