Afghanistan - The Taliban
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Afghan women wearing burqas
Photo: Chris Johnson/Oxfam |
Until the end of 2001, most of Afghanistan including its major
cities was under the control of the Taliban, lead by Mullah Mohammed
Omar. The rest of the country (about 5%) was in the control of the
United Front (Northern Alliance), headed by Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Now the Taliban regime has collapsed and a new 'interim government',
representing all groups of Afghan society, took over Afghanistan
on 22 December 2001.
The name 'Taliban' means religious student, and the original
Taliban members were traditional Islamic scholars. Their version
of Islam is very strict and dogmatic. Under Taliban rule, women
were forced to wear traditional veils (burqas) and banned
from working (except as nurses for women and children); girls' schools
were closed and men forced to grow beards and pray five times a
day. Television and the public playing of music were banned, and
the Taliban entered people's homes to destroy television sets and
family photographs.
Reaction to Taliban rule in Afghanistan was mixed. On the one hand,
after many years of conflict and fighting, it provided a period
of relative stability that for some people made Taliban rule bearable
despite the loss of certain rights and freedoms. Other groups and
individuals violently opposed the Taliban and their policies.
Since the fall of the Taliban, many people are enjoying new freedoms.
Many women have removed their traditional veils, started to wear
bright clothes and to put on make-up, and they have returned to
jobs they held before the Taliban came to power. Many men have shaved
off their beards, and people of all ages are enjoying the opportunity
take part in social activities such as watching football on TV,
visiting the zoo, listening to music and dancing.
Introduction
|| History
|| Geography
& Environment
People
& Society || Factfile
|| Oxfam in Afghanistan
|| Other resources
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