NEWS

Photo Note:  To download a photo of Rashid, see end of the release.

Veteran reporter to speak on militant Islam in Asia

CHAPEL HILL -- Investigative journalist Ahmed Rashid will give a free public lecture about his new book," Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia," Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at 111 Carroll Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rashid, who has covered Afghanistan, Central Asia and Pakistan for more than 20 years, witnessed the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, the subsequent rise of the Taliban and the invasion in October 2001 by the United States and other countries in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

He reports and writes mainly for The Far Eastern Economic Review, a business magazine published weekly in Hong Kong, but his stories also appear in The Wall Street Journal.

"Rashid is one of the world's most sought-after experts on Afghanistan," said Chad Haines of UNC's University Center for International Studies, which is co-sponsoring the talk. "He's one of the few experts who has a long history, a consistent presence, in the region."

Rashid's previous book, "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia," was widely read after the Sept. 11 attacks, said Haines. The writer (whose name is pronounced "ah-MED rah-SHEED") has given briefings on Afghanistan at the White House, the National Security Council, the State Department and the United Nations.

In his new book, Rashid focuses on five republics -- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -- where he believes that religious repression, political corruption and extreme poverty have created a fertile climate for militant Islam.

Rashid explains the roots of fundamentalist rage in the area, describes the goals and activities of its militant organizations and suggests methods to neutralize the threat and bring stability to the region. Without diplomatic and economic intervention and reform, he writes, the region faces a future of continued poverty, religious conflict and human misery that will inevitably spill onto the global stage.

Rashid's work also has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Nation and other publications.

He plans to take questions from the audience after his lecture at UNC. The program will be co-sponsored by the Progressive South Asia Forum, a Triangle group concerned about social issues in that part of the world. For more information, call the University Center for International Studies at 962-3094 or visit the center's Web site at http://www.ucis.unc.edu/home.html.

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Photo url: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/visiting/rashid_ahmed020603.jpg

Note: Rashid can be available for news interviews on Saturday morning, Feb. 15. To arrange an interview, contact Chad Haines in advance at (919) 962-5374, chad_haines@unc.edu. Journalists also may arrange with Haines to cover a workshop conducted by Rashid with UNC faculty members and graduate students, beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15.

Contact: Chad Haines, (919) 962-5374, chad_haines@unc.edu