Kabul: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is
calling on clerics to speak out against a recent wave of turban bombs, saying they violate Islamic values, his spokesman said Wednesday.
The call comes after attackers carried out two
high-profile suicide bombings last month by hiding explosives
in their turbans, which are traditionally worn by many Afghan
men and are symbolic of Islamic belief.
The first attack killed several people at a memorial
service for Karzai's assassinated brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai,
and the second the mayor of Kandahar, the biggest city in
southern Afghanistan.
Following the attacks, Karzai met members of an
influential clerical council, the Ulema Shura, to urge them to
speak out against this means of attack, his spokesman Hamid
Elmi said.
"The terrorists have recently resorted to using the turban
to hide suicide bombs. This act is against the values of Islam
and Afghan traditions," Elmi said.
"The turban is a symbol of dignity and religion in
Afghanistan. The president called on the Ulema to denounce
this act of terrorists in the mosques and amongst the people."
The spokesman said Karzai also called on clerics to
condemn insurgents hiding bombs under the burqa, the garment
worn by Afghan women to cover the head and the whole body.
A number of men wearing suicide vests under burqas have
been arrested in recent months.
The Taliban have been leading an insurgency against
Karzai's government and Western forces in Afghanistan for
nearly 10 years and suicide bombings are one of their most
deadly tactics.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 16:06