Who are they? Where did they come from?  The Taliban are a mujahideen group made up of Pashtun and Sunni Muslims. Education of many Taliban leaders was received in Pakistan(Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Taliban also means religious students. Once there were religious schools put in Afghanistan, these religious students became an important part of social life. This could be a hint as to why The Taliban are Islamic extremists. (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Small groups of taliban formed when the Soviets were in Afghanistan (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Soviets were driven out of Afghanistan and a president rose to power. This didn’t last long and Afghanistan became many different territories of fighting warlords (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).

When and How?When and How?  The Taliban was in power from 1994 until 2001 (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen). The Taliban’s best tactic to take rule of Afghanistan was their promise of peace and to end war (McNamara).  The Taliban fought off many warlords and started by taking over Kandahar and ended with Kabul (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Their take over began in 1994, that was when they took over Kandahar, their final take over was in 1996 which again, ended in Kabul (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  The Taliban is led by Mullah Muhammad Omar (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

When and how?When and how?  The Taliban took over the government in 1996 (Bajoria).  The Taliban took power by coming together while Afghanistan was mostly random territories and warlords (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  They started by taking over one city, which had a ripple effect and two years later had taken over nintey- five percent of Afghanistan (McNamara).

The TalibanThe Taliban

Before PowerBefore Power  Before The Taliban came to power the people of Afghanistan had human rights. In the 1920s women became eligible to vote and the 1960s brought equality for women. Women in Afghanistan were gaining jobs, becoming more educated and even holding some government positions. Afghanistan was also working on become a democracy but The Taliban brought great change to the people, especially women of Afghanistan (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

In PowerIn Power  In the beginning The Taliban promised peace but, that promise later showed unsuccessful (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  The Taliban did succeed in re-uniting majority of Afghanistan but did not lead out war. The civil wars in Afghanistan continued (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  The Taliban was close knit with the well known terrorist group al-Qaeda. It is believed they also gave safety to Osama bin Laden. Sources say Osama bin Laden’s daughter is actually married to the Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).

In PowerIn Power  The Taliban believes in strict Islamic law. The Taliban has basically formed their own version of Islam the is not current with modern day Muslims (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  The way The Taliban rules is not supported by a vast majority of Muslims in Afghanistan (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  Most of what The Taliban is strict on in their version of Islam is the rights of women(“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

In PowerIn Power  The Taliban’s rule has taken away all types of media and entertainment such as music, television, internet, and kite-flying (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  Men may not have their beards too short (Bajoria), and men must be careful to not wear pants that are too short (McNamara).  Any man who breaks these rules is subject to beating (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).

In PowerIn Power  Regular Islamic law does protect the rights of women and children but not to the extent of The Taliban (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  Before The Taliban came to power women were equal but they are not any more (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen). The Taliban claims that it is for the women’s best interest and to protect their dignity. With The Taliban’s rules it seems almost impossible for the women of Afghanistan to have much dignity (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

In PowerIn Power  Under Taliban rule women in Afghanistan are no longer able to have any sort of job, they are barely able to leave their homes (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Women may not even leave their home without a male relative as an escort. If a woman does not have an escort, going out alone or a man who pretends to be a relative could face death (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).

In PowerIn Power  Women must wear a dress that covers their entire body including their face. This is called a burqa. Many women find it hard to breathe while wearing and their vision through the face coving is limited (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  The Taliban rule prevents women from their basic human rights such as freedom, expression, association, assembly, word, education, and health care (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  The Taliban has commited acts against women such as rape, abduction, and forced marriage (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Any disobedience puts you at risk for being beaten, shot, or publicly executed (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

Quotes  A report from the U.S. Department of state says “Afghanistan under the Taliban had one of the worst human rights records in the world.” (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).  “Women are imprisoned in their homes, and are denied access to basic health care and education. Food sent to help starving people is stolen by their leaders. The religious monuments of other faiths are destroyed. Children are forbidden to fly kites, or sing songs... A girl of seven is beaten for wearing white shoes.” -- President George W. Bush, Remarks to the Warsaw Conference on Combating Terrorism, November 6, 2001 (“The Taliban’s War Against Women”).

Other FactsOther Facts  Despite The Taliban’s claim to be peaceful, they made a large profit from smuggling goods (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  Since The Taliban’s rule, there is less food, water and employment. Many have to sell their things to support a family (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  The Taliban required the windows of homes to be painted so women could not see outside (Hayes, Brunner, and Rowen).  The Taliban was taken out of power in 2001 but since has been regrouping in areas outside of Afghanistan (McNamara).

Pictures Wearing the burqa Woman beaten by Taliban members A person being publicly executed on a soccer field

Works CitedWorks Cited Bajoria, Jayshree. "Council on Foreign Relations." Council on Foreign Relations. N.p., 6 Oct Web. 03 Mar Hayes, Laura, Borgna Brunner, and Beth Rowen. "Who Are the Taliban?" Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 02 Mar McNamara, Melissa. "The Taliban In Afghanistan." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 08 Aug Web. 03 Mar "The Taliban's War Against Women." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 17 Nov Web. 03 Mar