Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi - October 11, 2001 - Hashemi’s Narrative on the Constitutional Warning from President Khatami to the Head of the Judiciary

Narrative by Hashemi on the Constitutional Warning from President Khatami to the Head of the Judiciary

Narrative by Hashemi on Ayatollah Khamenei’s Refusal to Allow Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi to Perform Umrah

Complete Daily Note:

Last night and today, the most intense military attacks by the U.S. in Afghanistan have occurred, and the Taliban have reported that a mosque has been destroyed in [the city of] Jalalabad, resulting in 15 deaths, and a village near the Pakistan border has been bombed, killing 100 people. There has also been heavy bombing in Kabul itself. Initially, the strikes were only at night and dawn, but now that they feel secure from Taliban air defenses, they are also attacking during the day. The U.S. has announced that it has absolute air superiority in Afghanistan and must move on to the next stages.

Yesterday, it was reported that two air bases and a port in southern Pakistan have been handed over to them, but this was not confirmed today, and discussions are ongoing about the entry of U.S. and British ground forces. The Northern Alliance has also announced that they have taken the city of Chalacharagh, the capital of Ghor Province, from the Taliban.

The U.S. has listed 22 individuals as dangerous terrorists; one of the CIA officials mentioned that seven of them are in Iran, one in Iraq, and the rest in Afghanistan. Iran has denied this. Three of them are from the Lebanese Mujahideen, and most are from Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has informed Iran that a large number of Saudi nationals have come to Iran with the intention of helping the Taliban to enter Afghanistan. There are reports that thousands of supporters of [Osama] bin Laden, [the leader of al-Qaeda], have arrived in Afghanistan from various countries, including Europe, to fight.

Previously, the U.S. had designated 27 groups as terrorists, and the United Nations has stated that countries should freeze their accounts and take action against them. In Germany, the government has shut down a private television channel that said Bush is like Stalin, and the U.S. has complained to the Emir of Qatar about Al Jazeera broadcasting news related to bin Laden, citing examples of dishonesty in claims of freedom of speech and news dissemination.

One of the American-operated planes has gone missing in the Mediterranean, and a passenger plane in America was hijacked but made an emergency landing with the escort of fighter jets. The hijacker intended to crash it into a tower [in Chicago]. A Canadian employee at the American-occupied base in Kuwait has been killed, while a Kuwaiti engineer in America has gone missing.

The U.S. has stated that al-Qaeda terrorists have bases in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and if they are not handed over, they will be targeted. The Lashkar-e-Taiba in Kashmir has also been labeled as terrorists to appease India. Protests are escalating in Europe, Africa, and Muslim countries, and the conscience of the third world and Muslims is hurt by the use of advanced weapons against a defenseless country, suggesting that public pressure against the U.S. and Britain will continue to grow.

[Tony Blair], the Prime Minister of Britain, has returned to the region [Middle East] to coordinate and seek cooperation from regional countries. He was supposed to go from Oman to Saudi Arabia, but it was reported that Saudi Arabia canceled his visit, and he went to Cairo instead. Israel has expressed concern that the U.S. is considering supporting an independent Palestinian state to attract Arab attention and support, claiming that the U.S. is seeking to appease the Arabs at the expense of weakening Israel. The Turkish parliament has approved that Turkey will assist the U.S. in the war, and today American operations were conducted from the Incirlik base as well. Turkey has amended its constitution to limit the death penalty.

Yesterday, Mr. [Seyyed Mohammad] Khatami, [the President], in a letter to Mr. [Seyyed Mahmoud Hashemi] Shahroudi, [the Head of the Judiciary], issued a constitutional warning regarding the trial and detention of members of parliament, and it is expected that Mr. Shahroudi will respond. Mr. Shahroudi was supposed to go for Umrah; apparently, the leadership did not consider it appropriate at this time.

Today, I was working in the office and spent most of the time reading bulletins and news. I inquired about Mr. Hossein Hashemian—my cousin—who has returned from London, where he went for treatment. He is satisfied. He expressed his gratitude and thanked me, saying that I saved him from death.