I marched against and physically fought with supporters of Reagan-backed Mujahadeen in Afghanistan, among whom of course were prominent Arab fighters like BinLaden. The Soviets were supporting the
right side in that civil war. Had the U.S. (starting with Carter) not supported the Mujahadeen, the Mujahadeen and Osama binLaden would have been defeated back then, much to the betterment of the entire region. Similarly, around the same time I also fought against the many Iranian Khomeini supporters on college campuses. That was in the early period before and just after he took power when Khomeini was still seen as a revolutionary anti-imperialist anti-Shah progressive by many. I recall defending campus meetings where Muslim women who had torn off their veils tried to speak about the danger posed by
all these crazy Muslim fundamentalists.
Democrats, Republicans, even liberal feminists were too anti-Soviet to see what was at stake then in Afghanistan. The U.S. shamefully boycotted the Olympics over this supposed “Soviet aggression.” The Soviets never wanted to invade. But the Soviet republics bordering Afghanistan and the Soviet Red Army were filled with Uzbeks, Tadzhiks and other nationals whose grandmothers had worn veils and who spoke the tongues and understood something about what was at stake in Afghanistan. The whole war was a mess alright, but more schools were built, more progress made, in that period ... than in any time afterward. U.S. support for the Mujahideen was a disgrace!
View attachment 435123