Catholic Bishop Opposes U.S. War in Afghanistan; Calls For Examination of American Foreign Policy

Interview by Between The Lines' Scott Harris

The American public, according to opinion polls, is squarely behind President Bush's decision to launch a U.S. air war against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban government of Afghanistan which is sheltering him. Ever since the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the public has rallied behind the president and his tough talk declaring an open-ended war against the"evildoers" who took the lives of some 6,000 innocent civilians in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

But on college campuses across the country and even on the streets of New York City, just a few blocks from "ground zero," tens of thousands of citizens are questioning the launch of a new war to fight terror. Protests organized by college students and veteran peace activists condemn the terrorists while resisting calls for war which many fear will lead to an ever more deadly spiral of violence. Some in the anti-war movement also argue that our nation must now ask the difficult question: "Why do so many people, particularly in the Muslim world, hate America?"

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Catholic Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit. Gumbleton, who has been an outspoken critic of U.N. economic sanctions against Iraq, proclaims his opposition to the war in Afghanistan and argues for a thorough examination of U.S. foreign policy to strike at the roots of terrorism (A RealAudio Version of this interview may be found At  http://www.btlonline.org).

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