By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Visitors from Afghanistan shared their thoughts and concerns about separation of church and state and women's rights with Tristate scholars and religious leaders Thursday.

Qazizada

The roundtable discussions at Xavier University and at Cincinnati Islamic Center in Westwood were part of a two-day visit of six Afghans - representing journalists, tribal leaders and others from the ethnic Pashtun majority - that concludes today with visits to Ursuline Academy in Blue Ash and the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati in West Chester.

The visit, sponsored locally by the International Visitors Council of Greater Cincinnati, ends a three-week nationwide tour supported by the U.S. Department of State - the first such visit since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said Mark Rebstock, the council's executive director.

It's a chance for the leaders from Afghanistan to discuss the diversity of Muslim life in America and see how various religions are working together to address social and educational issues. The international visitors hope the information they gather will help them in a country still struggling to rebuild after years of war and Taliban control.

"Everyone is now trying to reconstruct Afghanistan," said Mohd Asef Qazizada, a key political and administrative official in a Pashtun area close to Kabul. "But you cannot implement freedom or any of the things we are talking about until the people are fed and educated. That is what is most important."

In their discussion (facilitated by translators) with officials and students from Xavier University, Hillel Jewish Student Center and other organizations, the delegation questioned why Americans keep religion separate from government and the legal system. They argued that while it works for a diverse America, it may not be necessary in a country where the vast majority is Muslim.

"If you believe that God is our father, then wouldn't the law of our father be better than the law we make ourselves?" asked Mawlavi Ghulam Mohammad Gharib, a leader in the Ministry of Hajj and Endowment who played an active role in resisting Taliban rule.

In discussing women's involvement in religion and education, he said "women's rights have been protected under Islam. The problems we've had for the last 23 years is because of foreign interference."

Others added that women play a large role in their history and present government, and are attending schools and receiving an education.

Cincinnati's International Visitors Council is hoping to have representatives of Afghanistan's Dari sect visit to engage in similar discussions.

"We saw so much and learned so much, it's unbelievable," Qazizada said. "Some things we saw wouldn't work in Afghanistan. But much of what we saw would work."

E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com