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American Morning
Taliban Government Arrests 24 Aide Workers
Aired August 07, 2001 - 10:53 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRYA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Afghanistan is not only one of the most remote countries on Earth, it can also be one of the most dangerous. The Taliban government has arrested 24 aide workers and accused them of illegally promoting Christianity. Two of the aide workers are American women, and U.S. officials say they expect them to be treated fairly. Christian proselytizing is a crime punishable by death in Afghanistan.
And joining us to talk about his personal experiences of danger in that country is Robert Pelton, author of "The World's Most Dangerous Places."
Hello, Robert.
ROBERT PELTON, AUTHOR, "THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS PLACES": Good morning.
PHILLIPS: Do you find anything unusual about this, first off, about this case?
PELTON: Not really. This is, just part of an ongoing program by the religious police in Afghanistan to sort of cleanse or to fundamentalize Afghanistan.
PHILLIPS: But what do you think that will happen to these aide workers?
PELTON: Well typically, if the past is any indication, they will probably be released. They're basically sending them a message. I don't think that they are going to actually be tried and punished inside of Afghanistan.
PHILLIPS: Has it ever happened before?
PELTON: It's happened quite frequently. They frequently arrested outsiders or foreigners for breaking Islamic law, and typically there's a little bit of a cafafo (ph), they're jailed for a few days, and then they're released with a warning.
PHILLIPS: So why do you think that there shouldn't be a concern with regard to these workers?
PELTON: Well, there should always be a concern, of course. And also the new edict for the death penalty for proselytizing is fairly new. I think there should be concern, but I think there should obviously be some negotiation and understanding that it doesn't benefit anyone by punishing Christians under the Islamic law.
PHILLIPS: Let's talk about your personal experience. As a journalist, you went over there. You met with the Taliban. You also met with Masud (ph), the leader of the resistance party. Did you -- were you at any point ever fearful?
PELTON: Not really. I mean, you have to remember that the Talebs are not the elected government of Afghanistan, and the people in the north and the south are basically the same. They are very poor, devout group of people, who are very, hospitable to the foreigners.
PHILLIPS: What was your conversation like with the Taliban?
PELTON: They were upset, because they were our allies in the '80s, of course, against the Russians, and they were very upset that we had now demonized them, even though they were the exact same people. Their brand of religious fundamentalism is not that extreme to them, but they live in an extreme country.
PHILLIPS: So here you were talking with them, but you also wanted to get the other side, so you wanted meet with Masud and talk the resistance side of things. What happened when you told Taliban leaders that you wanted to do that?
PELTON: They welcomed it. The Taliban leaders are not trying to isolate themselves. They want the people to let them run their run their country as they see fit, and they've chosen obviously Islam as the basic tenets, but it's no different than places like Malaysia or Saudi Arabia, where there is a preponderance of Muslim's inside the country.
PHILLIPS: Now tell me about the -- I understand that you were stranded in the Kashmir mountain, is that correct?
PELTON: Well I had to sneak into Afghanistan, so, I...
PHILLIPS: So the Taliban was not happy then that you were meeting with Masud. You had to sneak back in?
PELTON: No, it was actually the Russians that were trying to keep me out of Afghanistan. They have a shoot-to-kill order along the border of Tijikistan (ph), on the north there, and so I had to sneak into the north. It's very difficult to get into the north. It's much easier to get into the south, and actually there's tourists going into Afghanistan right now.
PHILLIPS: So would you ever go back?
PELTON: I enjoy that country very, very much.
PHILLIPS: Then again, I know you enjoy dangerous places, too.
Robert Pelton, thank you so much for joining us. PELTON: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
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