Chat Ed : Welcome Cassian!

Cassian Harrison : Hello everyone. I understand there is a lot of people trying to log on so please be patient and I'll try and answer as many questions as possible.

Derek and Clive : lo Cassian :) Were you with Saira during the all the filming?

Cassian Harrison : No I was not with her when she was filming undercover in Kabul. Then she travelled back from Pakistan into Afghanistan on her own for about a week.

Paul From Bedford : what caused you the most emotional pain when in afghanistan?

Cassian Harrison : I think the most affecting experience for all of us was seeing the 3 girls in the north-east of the country. Also very distressing for all of us was the situation in the refugee camps in Pakistan. When we were filming which was about 6 months ago, conditions were very bad. The tragedy is that the conditions could get even worse now.

Ian Barton : We are too ignorant of the post Soviet conditions in Afghanistan, this programme is absolutely rivetting, and I applaud the bravery of those who risked their freedom to undertake this assignment.
Ronnald Biggs : Do you think that the Pakistani border should be opened up to allow the Afghan people through and do you think that the rest of the world should be offering to help take in refugees?

Cassian Harrison : Difficult question. I think that we in the West all have to take on board some responsibility for the events that are currently going on and for the situation of the refugees. However the answer cannot be to create a situation inside Afghanistan where everybody who lives there wants to leave. I think we should do what we can to help and support those people who have fled the country. But really our responsibility should be to make life bearable for those that are still living there.

AndrewCox : Do you think bombing is the best way to depose the Taleban? Or would greater aid and creation of better living conditions eradicate the Taleban's backward and medieval despotism?

Cassian Harrison : I think the situation is obviously very complex but my sympathy would lie with helping the Afghan people, rather than bombing a race who have already been bombed repeatedly over the last 20 years. We should all remember that the Taliban regime came to power because of the chaos that existed in the country after the Soviet withdrawal. And that, chaos was because America and the West turned its back on Afghanistan after the Soviets left.

llandru : I would like to know where/who are the fathers of the women who are being persecuted in Afganistan. It seems incredible that someone would let thier mother or sister or daughter be mistreated in this way.
Emily : How can the Taliban defend what they are doing to the women of Afganistan?

Cassian Harrison : It's important to realise that after 20 years of war, many of the husbands and fathers of the women of Afghanistan have been killed or wounded in the conflicts that have gone on. Also, if, as a man, you stand up to the Taliban you are likely to receive an even more violent response than a woman would. Emily, the Taliban have found the 'justification' of their treatment of women in the Koran. But what they seem to have forgotten is an important message of the Koran and this is one of tolerance. I think we could all turn to the Bible and if we looked hard enough find words and phrases which could legitimise the repression of other people. The question is how you interpret a holy text and what you do with it.

simonp : Cassian, why do you blame america and the west? don't the islamic nations have a responsibility ?

Cassian Harrison : I don't blame America and the West for the history of Afghanistan but it must be said that we are the people who the Taliban and many Islamic people feel are responsible for their situation. I agree that we are not responsible for the Taliban directly but I think we in the West do also bear a responsibility to not support other Islamic regimes which can be seen as repressive also. Ultimately I think that the West and Islam needs to try and engage in a dialogue and I think we in the West must be seen to be actively pursuing that dialogue.

maddie : How much better are the Northern Alliance than the Taliban? Should the West be supporting them?

Cassian Harrison : Unhappily the Northern Alliance cannot be seen to be the saviours of Afghanistan. They are made up of a group of warlords whose common goal is only to overthrow the Taliban. In my experience they have little vision beyond that and no plans for running the country.

kapil : Who do you believe should take power if the Taliban are defeated?

Cassian Harrison : Difficult question! I don't see that there is anybody who is in a position to take power and to rule Afghanistan effectively. The most important thing is that it should NOT be America. The Afghanis are a terribly proud people - rightly so. And the last time a super-power tried to take over their country they defeated them. I think the priority at the moment is not to think of who will run the country, but of how to build a country. Afghanistan is a country where the majority of people are starving and where there is no infrastructure that we would call a state. Right now I think the best thing might be to declare Afghanistan a United Nations Protectorate and to allow an international force to simply concentrate on building a country which can feed its own people.

Tom Bulman : I wonder how Cassian would answer a criticism that this programme was one-sided

Cassian Harrison : My answer to that would be, fair enough. However, I didn't make the film to present the definitive view of Afghanistan. I made it in order to foster debate. Remember this was made 6 months before September 11th. And what is as important to me as the film is the opportunity to debate and discuss the issues it raises and for other people to do so as well.

Nikki : I have just watched Beneath the Veil for the second time, and am wondering which (if any) organisations are working towards improving the level of human rights in Afghanistan, and how to join these groups?

Cassian Harrison : Given the scale of the situation in Afghanistan and the profile that it has raised I think the most effective work is probably being done by the major aid organisations and NGOs such as Amnesty. I have been deeply impressed by the work that OXFAM has been doing in Afghanistan. They have been managing to get aid to places that none of the other NGOs will go to.

Wil and Liz : cassian were there scenes in the making of the film that were deemed too disturbing to show on TV and if so were they passed on to international authorities?

Cassian Harrison : Indeed, yes. All of the material used in the film and the material that we did not include was passed on to an organisation called Human Rights Watch, who are another NGO fighting for human rights who I would offer my whole-hearted support to.

punkrockmad : do you think a cese fire should take place during ramidan?

Cassian Harrison : If I knew what the goal of the current bombing was, then I would be able to answer your question coherently. As it stands I'm not absolutely sure what the object of the current conflict is and so I can't make a judgement. However I am deeply concerned that the current campaign is beginning to be seen as simply anti-Muslim.

Chat Ed : Our half hour with Cassian is nearly up now, so last two questions now, thanks.
Tim : Cassian, still powerful the second time around, will this program be translated and sent to other countries?

Cassian Harrison : Yes the programme has already been broadcast in numerous countries worldwide, particularly in America, where CNN have shown it a number of times.

ii : would you be prepared to return to Afghanistan to make a follow up documentary ? naomi : Cassian - what's your next step? Do you plan to make another documentary about the current situation?

Cassian Harrison : In fact, there is a follow-up documentary which is currently in production and I think it is planned to air in November.

Chat Ed : And just one last one:
tracey : Have you had any official response from anyone from the Taliban regarding your documentary??

Cassian Harrison : No. I'm afraid not.

Chat Ed : That's it! Thanks for that Cassian, great stuff! Thanks for joining us tonight everyone. Find out more here : http://www.channel4.com/plus/afghanistan, and don't forget you can read what SAIRA SHAH said in our first Beneath the Veil chat - check out www.channel4.com/talk and click on PAST CHATS. It's six months back, so you'll have to rummage a little.

Cassian Harrison : Thank you everyone and goodnight.

Jan : Chat Ed, please make sure to thank Cassian Harrison from me.
Elias : thanks!
Ricky : thanks
dave3030 : night cassian

Cassian Harrison leaves the room.