Taliban+in+Control

Greg Blechman-group leader Tiana Goodman Ned Mccaffery

Taliban's beginnings

 * ==﻿ ﻿﻿﻿Prime minister of Afghanistan, Hazifullah Amin, tried to sweep aside Muslim tradition, and wanted Afghanistan to be more Westernized. (Communist-against religion) ==
 * === Majority of country had traditional Muslim beliefs and were outraged-Starting Revolts ===
 * === Many Muslims joined the Mujahideen - a guerilla force on a holy mission for Allah to overthrow Amin's government ===
 * === Russians claimed that they had been invited in by the Amin government and that they were not invading the country, their task was to support a legitimate government and that the Mujahideen were terrorists. ===
 * === In December on 1979 the Russians shot Amin and replaced him with Babrak Kamal- position was just to be dependent on Russians ===
 * === The Russians ended up leaving Russia because much like America in Vietnam they realized this was a war they could not win, leaving the fighting to the Mujahideen, which started fighting among themselves. ===
 * === The first military action of the Taliban was in 1994 when they marched into southern Afghanistan and took control of Kandahar City. ===
 * === Within the next three months the Taliban took control of twelve of the Afghanistans 34 provinces, with some Mujahideen warloards even surrendering to them without a fight. ===
 * === By 1996 the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. ===
 * === As described in "The Kite Runner" the Taliban initially enjoyed a lot of good will from the Afghan people. This is because they were tired of the curroption and brutality of teh Mujahideen warloards. ===

== Much like any other terrorist organization, or even the Russians who held power precedent to the Taliban's uprising; The Taliban's control stems mostly from their absolute brutality. There is no real better way to force man to do something than to barter his own life against him. Understanding this, the Taliban hold a strict regime against any type of resistance. ==

=== The Taliban's control over the people of Afghanistan does not end with beatings and consistence massacres; Their control seeps into the very pores of human life. As Rahim Khan in The Kite Runner illustrated, even cheering at a soccer game is against Taliban regulation. Women are forced to wear "burqas", full body robes that show no skin besides the seductive gap between a womans eyes. Women are not allowed to leave their home or see a doctor without a male chaperoning. Besides the restriction in clothing and medical care, Women of Afghanistan are not permitted to pursue an education beyond the age of 8 besides the study of the Quran. It is of utmost importance to note that these sexist restrictions are not that of Afghanistan or the Muslim faith, but of the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. Constantly I hear Islam getting a bad rap in their treatment of women, their denial of simple human rights and their hatred of Americans. As a student, it is your responsibility to educate yourself and realize that Islam is basically Christianity with brown people. And the vocal extremists should not set an example of the Muslim faith in your eyes. ===

=== But I digress, the important matter at hand is the Taliban's method of control. Much like how they repress women, the Taliban made a habit of repressing the past lifestyle of Afghans. Kite fighting is made illegal, nearly all citizens are placed under house arrest, and even carrying on in the middle of the street is considered illegal. The Taliban have effectively suppressed the Afghans, not only physically, but culturally And that is why they are able to maintain control. The very life force of Afghanistan has dissipated. For what do the people of Afghanistan have to fight for if their way of life is already gone? Even if the younger generation of Afghanistan stood up to fight against the Taliban (which would be preposterous since the Taliban exist in their schools and the youth have grown with the propaganda) how could they physically win? With the Taliban all super Orwellian, on the citizens, it's almost impossible to walk from neighborhood to neighborhood without catching a bullet in the chest. ===

Taliban Rule Over Afghanistan

 * === ﻿ Taliban rule was a strict form of Sharia or Islamic law ===
 * === Nobody can listen to music ===
 * === No television or movies[[image:taliban_beard.jpg align="right"]] ===
 * === No use of internet ===
 * === No kite flying (un-islamic) ===
 * === Women are by far restricted the most ===
 * === Must wear a full burqa (veil) ===
 * === Cannot have jobs except for a few nurses and doctors ===
 * === Must be accompanied by a man outside of the home ===
 * === Cannot wear bright colors ===
 * === Whip women in public who have un-covered ankles ===
 * === Women will be stoned to death for adultery ===
 * === NO cosmetics ===
 * === Cannot laugh loudly ===
 * === Cannot participte in sports ===
 * === Must speak in low voices ===
 * === Many, many more rules ===
 * === Men can only have their hair styled in a few listed ways ===
 * === Defiance leads to extreme punishment ===
 * === Taliban reduced corruption and restored commerce ===

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