Speech by Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Umar

The following is the text of a speech by Mullah Mohammad Omar read out today at a meeting of Afghan clerics gathered in the capital, Kabul, to discuss the fate of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden.

"The Ulema (Scholars) have always guided the Ummah.

Our Islamic state is the true Islamic state in the world and for this reason the enemies of our religion and our country look on us as a thorn in their eyes and use different pretexts to try to finish it, including the one about the presence of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

They put the blame for Washington and New York on him. The the question is how did Osama tell the pilots? And which airports did they use? And whose planes were those? The answer is that it is America.

In this regard, Afghanistan does not have the resources and neither does Osama have the strength or resources. He is not in contact with anyone and neither have we given permission to anyone to use the Afghan land against anyone.

We have not tried to create friction with America. We have had several talks with the present and past American governments and we are ready for more talks.

We have told America that we have taken all resources from Osama and he cannot contact the outside world. And we have told America that neither the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan or Osama are involved in the American events. But it is sad that America does not listen to our word.

America always repeats threats and makes various accusations and now it is threatening military attack.

This is being done in circumstances in which we have offered alternatives on the Osama issue.

We have said, if you have evidence against Osama, give it to the Afghan Supreme Court or the ulema (clerics) of three Islamic countries, or have OIC (Organisation of Islamic Countries) observers keep an eye on Osama.

But America rejected these, one by one. If America had considered these suggestions there would not have been a chance of such a great misunderstanding.

We appeal to the American government to exercise complete patience, and we want America to gather complete information and find the actual culprits.

We assure the whole world that neither Osama nor anyone else can use the Afghan land against anyone else.

And if even after this, America wants to use force and wants to attack Afghanistan and our innocent and oppressed people and wants to destroy the Islamic emirate, we seek your guidance and a fatwa (ruling) on the issue in the light of Islamic Sharia."

Servant of Islam, Leader of the Faithful, Mullah Mohammad Omar, 19th September, 2001

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Below is the same speech as reported and translated by the Associated Press:

Speech by Taliban's Leader to Clerics

By The Associated Press, Sept 19, 2001

Here is a translation of the Pashtu-language speech by the leader of Afghanistan Islamic Taliban government, Mullah Mohammed Omar, that was read to the hundreds of clerics meeting in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Wednesday. It was obtained by the Afghan Islamic Press, a Pakistan-based Afghan news agency with close ties to the Taliban.

"Our system is the true example of an Islamic system. For the enemies of religion and our country, this system is like a thorn in their eyes, and they are trying to destroy it under various pretexts. 

Holding Osama bin Laden responsible for the strikes in New York and Washington is an excuse. Afghanistan does not have resources, nor is Osama that powerful, nor does he have contacts with the outside world to carry out or plan such attacks. We also do not give him permission to use Afghan territory against any other country. 

We have never tried to create problems with America. We have held talks in the present and the past with U.S. governments several times, and we are ready for more talks. 

We have told America that we have severed all the communication links of Osama, and he cannot have contact with the outside world. 

America considers him as a suspect (in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Osama has denied his involvement. It is unfortunate that America doesn't listen to us and levels all sorts of charges and threatens military action. 

We have told America that if it has any evidence, give it to the Afghan Supreme Court, or let the clerics from any three Islamic countries decide his case, or he could be placed under the observation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, (a body representing 52 Islamic nations). But these offers have all been rejected. 

We appeal to the American government for tolerance and ask it to conduct an investigation and track down the real culprits. We want to assure the world that Osama cannot use Afghan soil against any country. 

Despite all this, if America still wants to attack us, and to punish our innocent people, and to destroy the Islamic government of Afghanistan, we want to get the religious decision from you, our respected religious scholars. You should make a decision in light of Islamic Shariat (law)." 

Servant of Islam, Leader of the Faithful, Mullah Mohammad Omar, 19th September, 2001

Source: Reuters - Wednesday, September 19, 2001