Afghans in Maine praise peace accord Optimism grows for stability in homeland

PORTLAND – Afghan natives living in Maine are approaching 2002 with guarded optimism for their homeland.

Many believe the turmoil caused by the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the overthrow of the ruling Taliban government may turn out to be Afghanistan’s best hope for stability after decades of war.

Mohammad Muti, 67, of Portland is especially pleased with the provisional government formed with input from the United Nations, which represents many ethnic groups that have fought for power in the past.

He also thinks the world attention now focused on Afghanistan likely will prevent tribal clashes and the violent retributions that often take place when one warring faction overthrows another.

“This is one of the best chances in the history of Afghanistan,” said Muti, who is president of the 190-member Afghan Association of Maine. “It no longer is just Afghanistan’s problem. The eyes of the world are on it, and that should make things better than when it was left alone.”

Muti’s optimism is shared by others, including M. Hashim Sayed, 32, an interpreter who lives in Portland. Like Muti, he left his homeland during the war with the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Sayed said he is happy that the new government’s leaders say they will focus on human rights and women’s rights.

He also is happy that the country is now rid of terrorist camps, a change that should allow the government to have a better relationship with the United States and other countries.

Mahmud Faksh, a professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine who has taught Middle Eastern politics and history, said Afghanistan’s chance for peace and stability may not come again.

“I positively think this is a chance for them to put their house in order, a chance that may not be replicated in the future,” said Faksh, a native of Syria. “It’s not only international attention, but Western interest in trying to put Afghanistan on the right path. Other countries in the region, like Iran and Pakistan, know that the West is determined to see Afghanistan become stable.”

Whether the new government can maintain peace is unclear. But a multinational peacekeeping force, which the new Afghan government agreed to accept last weekend, soon will be in the country to help deter any factional unrest that might occur.

Muti hopes and believes the new world attention focused on Afghanistan will translate into economic aid. Decades of war, dating back to the Soviet invasion more than 20 years ago and including the internal fighting of the 1990s, has left the country in an economic shambles.

“Afghanistan is a very poor country and they can’t rebuild alone,” said Muti, who taught civil engineering in the capital of Kabul. “When the people are comfortable, they don’t fight.”