Afghan women wearing burqas, or head-to-toe veils, carry their children in the town of Dasht-e-Qala in Takhar province, an anti-Taliban stronghold in Northern Afghanistan. Photo: AP/Wide World Women Under the Taliban By Heather Holliday Living under the rule of the Taliban can be hard for men, who must grow beards and pray five times a day. For women, it is more like living in a prison. A woman living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan can rarely leave her home. When she does leave, she must wear her burqa—a gown that covers her entire body and has a small mesh screen to see through—and she must be with a male relative. At home, she must live behind blackened windows. A woman cannot go to school or hold a job. A woman without a man to support her often has to beg in the street to survive. An Afghan woman cannot speak to a man she is not related to, so she cannot visit a male doctor. However, female doctors are fleeing the country, and it is illegal to educate new ones. If a woman wears nail polish, part of her finger could be chopped off. If she is suspected of looking a man in the eye or of laughing in public, she can be publicly beaten. The Taliban made these rules for women, saying that it is the rule of Islam. However, many Muslims and religious experts say that the Taliban’s rules are extreme and have nothing to do with the Islamic religion. The prophet Muhammed founded the religion of Islam in the 7th century. At that time it offered some freedom to women. For example, it gave women the right to property and inheritance. And, until the Taliban took over Afghanistan in the 1990s, many Muslim women participated in public life. Women went to universities and many of the nation’s doctors and teachers were women. Instead of burqas, women wore long dresses and scarves that covered their heads. While some women do not mind wearing the burqa, they say it should be up to Afghan women to choose for themselves what they will wear. Many Muslims argue that laws forbidding women to get an education or hold a job are actually against the Koran, the holy book of Islam. The Koran states that all Muslims should get an education, say many experts. Because of the treatment of women by the Taliban and for other reasons, the U.S. has never recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s ruling government.

The Taliban rose to power in Afghanistan in the mid-1990s. At first, citizens were glad to have them in charge. People in Afghanistan were exhausted from years of drought, famine, and war. Afghans hoped that the Taliban would bring peace to the country, as they promised to do.

In 1994, different tribes were fighting for control of the country. That same year, the Taliban were noticed when they saved two teenaged girls from gangs who kidnapped them. Soon after, a warlord in southern Afghanistan overtook 30 Pakistani trucks. Again, Taliban members came to the rescue and freed the trucks, which gained them further respect.

The Taliban soon became an armed militia that promised to create a land of peace and justice in Afghanistan. The Taliban also promised to create a religious country that followed extreme interpretations of the laws and traditions of Islam.

Since then, the Taliban have captured most of the country, including the capital city of Kabul. On September 27, 1996, the Taliban seized the capital and replaced the government of Afghanistan with its own leaders. This capture clinched the Taliban’s power in Afghanistan. Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban and one of the founders of the movement, now rules over about 95 percent of the country.

Who Are They?
Taliban members are graduates of religious schools in Pakistan. The word “talib” means an Islamic student who seeks knowledge. Taliban is the plural of talib, which is a term for students who seek knowledge. Members can quote passages from the Koran, the sacred text of Islam. However, Taliban members are not well educated in other areas. For example, some Taliban members may not know about world history, including the fact that men landed on the moon.

When the Taliban first took over Afghanistan, they promised hope and positive changes, including a crackdown on crime. But the Taliban also imposed the strictest form of Islam in the world. Music, television, and videos are banned. Men have to grow beards and pray five times a day. Women cannot be seen on the street without being covered from head to toe. Women cannot work and all schools for girls have been closed. Teaching Christianity is against the law.

The Taliban have also killed people, burned houses, and destroyed crops in the villages and towns it conquered. Public executions and amputations to punish people who break laws are common occurrences. As a result, the people of Afghanistan have become less supportive of the Taliban rulers.

Lack of World Support
Many of the world’s governments do not support the Taliban. In fact, before September, only three countries—Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s official government.

After September 11, much of the world united to condemn the Taliban for allowing Osama bin Laden—the prime suspect in September’s terrorist attacks—to stay in Afghanistan. Only Pakistan now maintains formal relations with the Taliban, although Pakistan is also a U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism. Still, with most of the country under its control, the Taliban have continued to ask for international recognition.

A New Government?
Internal fighting over who should rule the country once the Taliban are defeated has intensified as the bombs continue to fall. The Taliban’s main opposition is the Northern Alliance, which includes members of various tribes—many of which are enemies of each other. These tribes are working together to try to overthrow the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan, but who will be in charge afterwards is a sticky issue.

Worldwide leaders, including in the U.S., India, and Pakistan, have discussed Afghanistan’s future government—but don’t necessarily agree.

Most countries agree that a new Afghan government must represent all ethnic groups in the country. That would include Tajiks, who are descendants of Iran; Uzbeks, who were originally from Uzbekistan; and Pashtuns, who are Pashto-speaking people of southeastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. The majority of Afghans are Pashtuns.

Including all of these ethnic groups in the same government will be complicated because they have traditionally fought with each other for control. In addition, the Taliban are led by Pashtuns, while Tajiks and Uzbeks dominate the Northern Alliance.

Pakistan, which shares a border with Afghanistan and houses millions of Afghan refugees, could be the country most affected by a new ruling government. Pakistan has fought the Northern Alliance and does not want them to have a role in Afghanistan’s future government. India, on the other hand, has supported the Northern Alliance and insists that the Taliban not be involved.