History of the Taliban in Afghanistan

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the late 1970s, children of Afghan refugees who fled the country were educated in religious schools in Pakistan by the religious party known as the Jamiat-ul-ulema-e-Islam. It is many of these children who as adults became attracted to and members of the Taliban. The strict interpretation of Islamic law is known as Wahabi and provides the most moderate interpretation of Sunni Islam. Having grown up with years of conflict, the Taliban culture views guns and violence as norms. The Taliban is also comprised of numerous Islamic fighters or mujahedin warriors. The Taliban gained support in the aftermath of the Soviet invasions and through military victory gained control of Kandahar and Kabul and most of Afghanistan except for the northern region. In 1994, a former mullah, Mohammad Omar, became the leader of the Taliban and rules it today.

The majority of Taliban members and their supports are Pushtuns who makeup nearly half of AfghanistanÆs populatio

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Men were forced to wear a beard at least one fist length below the chin and harsh restrictions were imposed on women, ôA flurry of regulations forbidding girls from going to school and woman from working quickly brought them into conflict with the international communityö (Survival, 2003, 1). Other restrictions on women included limited access to health care, being made to wear burkas (one-piece gowns that extend from head to floor), and being forbidden to leave the house without being in the company of a male relative. Such religious fanaticism is not viewed as a benefit by a majority of the worldÆs population. One Afghan refugee who fled Afghanistan with her parents after the Taliban takeover has written about her experiences ala Anne FrankÆs diary. As one reviewer of the work noted about the authorÆs harrowing experiences, ôLatifaÆs story is an acute reminder of the ways in which women are treated like chattelö (Burns, 2003, 147). Indeed the Taliban has long sought and long been denied political validity by the International community. The group also views music, television and other forms of entertainment as frivolous and forbids them. Today the Taliban is largely viewed as a renegade regime. American and Afghanistan
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