Taliban


 * TALIBAN**
 * Citation:** Rashid, Ahmed. "The Taliban: Exporting Extremism." Embassy of India. Nov. 1999. 21 Apr. 2009. [].

> > > > **EXTERNAL LINKS** As seen in Swallows of Kabul, the Taliban often intiated public executions. This video is of the execution of two suspected prostitutes. []
 * Historically Afghanistan has been a buffer between many different empires
 * exists in a region of historic political instability
 * Afghanistan has its own issues with dependence on the drug trade
 * Due to colonization by the British and interference by the USSR, Afghanistan and the Taliban have a fierce sense of independence
 * One million people died in the USSR occupation
 * Taliban composed of Pushtun population.
 * "Taliban" means students. The group was initially very popular and did not seek to control the entire country
 * They promised to bring peace to Afghanistan, order, and to restore sharia (Islamic law)
 * The Taliban captured Kabul in 1996 and began its career as a political faction
 * 1998: the Taliban pushes into northern Afghanistan
 * The Taliban is not organized like other political regimes. No press conferences were held due to a ban on television. The people under the control of the Taliban in many cases do not know what their leaders look like.
 * Before 1992: the region used to be tolerant of other religions. This policy was completely reversed under Taliban rule.
 * The Taliban's interpretation of Islam comes from Deobandism which was established in British India. It is considered an extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam and is preached in refugee camps in Afghanistan.
 * The Taliban was actively exporting their religious and political ideology into Pakistan, hoping to create an ally.

The Taliban is notorious for its regulations regarding gender roles. The following link gives a comprehensive list of the restrictions imposed on Afghan society: [|List of Restrictions under the Taliban]

Below is a link to a comprehensive and scholarly article about the rise of the Taliban [|The Washington Quarterly 2000]

Afghanistan remains the number one producer of opium in the world. The Taliban controlled 96% of the land where opium was grown. The link below is another schoarly article about the role of the Taliban in the Afghan drug trade. [|Afghanistan and Drug Production]

The below link is a 1999 report on the rights of women under the Taliban. The report argues that despite actions against prostitution, crime and prostitution have not decreased. []