DATE=6/19/98
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-40733
TITLE=IS THERE AN ISLAMIC BOMB?
BYLINE=ED WARNER
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: ONCE PAKISTAN, IN RESPONSE TO INDIA, CONDUCTED NUCLEAR
TESTS, THERE WAS WIDESPREAD TALK OF THE FIRST ISLAMIC BOMB. AT A
PRESS BRIEFING IN WASHINGTON, A LEADING MUSLIM SPOKESMAN PROVIDED
SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THE NUCLEAR ISSUE IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES. VOA'S
ED WARNER REPORTS.
TEXT: THERE WAS JUBILATION IN PAKISTAN, AS WELL AS INDIA, AFTER
THE RECENT NUCLEAR TESTS. BUT THAT WAS NO CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION,
SAID MAHER HATHOUT IN A BRIEFING AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CLUB.
A PHYSICIAN WHO SPEAKS FOR A NUMBER OF ISLAMIC ORGANIZATIONS, MR.
HATHOUT SAID THE FACT THAT ONE MUSLIM COUNTRY HAS NUCLEAR WEAPONS
SHOULD NOT LEAD OTHERS TO GET THEM:
// HATHOUT ACT //
I AM OPPOSED TO THE TERMINOLOGY, "ISLAMIC BOMB," UNLESS
WE CALL THE OTHER ONE A "HINDU BOMB," AND I AM SURE THAT
WE WILL HAVE SOME JEWISH BOMBS, AND WE HAVE ALREADY
EXPLODED IN HIROSHIMA A CHRISTIAN BOMB. SUCH A A
LANGUAGE WE DO NOT HAVE TO USE BECAUSE WE ARE INVOKING
THE NOBILITY OF RELIGION ON SOMETHING VERY DESTRUCTIVE.
// END ACT //
MR. HATHOUT INSISTED THERE IS NOTHING IN THE KORAN TO JUSTIFY USE
OF A NUCLEAR WEAPON. IT FORBIDS MASS DESTRUCTION OR THE KILLING
OF INNOCENT PEOPLE. IN MR. HATHOUT'S OPINION, NUCLEAR WEAPONS CAN
ONLY SERVE AS A DETERRENT TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM USING THEM.
BUT THE RECENT TESTS SERVE ANOTHER PURPOSE, SAID ABDURAHMAN
AL-AMOUDI, PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN MUSLIM FOUNDATION:
. // AL-AMOUDI ACT //
BREAKING THE MONOPOLY AND THE HEGEMONY WAS VERY
IMPORTANT FOR THE THIRD WORLD. WHY SHOULD THE WEST ONLY
HAVE IT AND NOBODY ELSE? AND WHY SHOULD THE WEST BE THE
POLICEMAN? I DO NOT WANT TO IMPLY THAT WE WANT EVERYBODY
ELSE TO HAVE IT AND THAT IT FALLS IN THE WRONG HANDS.
FOR THE WEST TO HAVE IT, THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION.
// END ACT //
MR. HATHOUT REPLIED THAT JUSTIFIED OR NOT, EVERY ADVANCE IN
NUCLEAR WEAPONRY INCREASES THE DANGER TO THE WORLD:
// HATHOUT ACT //
INDIA NOW IS NOT MORE SECURE, IS NOT MORE SAFE, IS NOT
MORE RESPECTED. NEITHER IS PAKISTAN. THERE ARE WAYS OF
APPROACHING A DANGER LIKE THAT. ONE IS: I WILL BREAK THE
MONOPOLY SO EVERYBODY WHO CAN GET THE BOMB WILL GET IT.
AND NOW IF WE DO THAT, WE GUARANTEE THAT IT WILL BE
USED, ESPECIALLY IN A WORLD THAT TO A GREAT EXTENT IS
RULED BY DICTATORS.
// END ACT //
MR. HATHOUT SAID THE WEST, WHICH HAS THE MOST NUCLEAR WEAPONS,
HAS A SPECIAL OBLIGATION TO REDUCE THE THREAT FROM ALL COUNTRIES
IN POSSESSION OF THEM. (SIGNED)
NEB/EW/RRM
19-Jun-98 3:32 PM EDT (1932 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
