Taliban Case - Terrorists

In the evolution of man and his desire to seek control of the masses, he has often turned to religion as a means to manipulate a people to his ideas or ways. In the 20th century alone there have been prime examples of religion or quasi religion being used to mesmerize a nation and its people to perform deeds that are beyond the grasp of modern society. The first major group or organization that used religion as a means to insure their longevity was the NAZI Party. It was the belief of the NAZI's that although the church was corrupt, it had stood the test of time, and to insure their place in the millennium it was essential to adopt some of the practices of the church. The use of religious symbols and traditions was meant to insure the masses remembered the beginnings of the new German Empire and their belief system would endure the test of time. (Speer, 1969) The outcome of the NAZI Doctrine and its quasi religion essentially led to the destruction of the German culture, and at the onset of the Cold War the country was left in ruins rebuilding not only their destroyed country, but their tradition and religious beliefs. The NAZI Party and its policies although terrible and unfathomable in their ruthless conduct of war do not compare to the current radicalization of Islam, and its spread across the globe. The most prevalent group in current political affairs that has sought to destroy mankind and instill a new form of government not seen since the days of Mohammed is the Taliban in Afghanistan, but the question that lies within is what were the factors that led to the rise of Taliban, and what precipitated their rise to power as the recognized government of Afghanistan? In this paper I will attempt to narrow down the factors that led to the rise of the Taliban, and how they were able to seize control of their country, but we must first explain the Taliban and their belief system. This foundation will provide a better understanding of why the Taliban is viewed as one of the most oppressive governments to ever exercise power in the modern age.

The term Taliban has a few different meaning depending upon the source you reference to find out its origins, but most people will agree that the name simply means "one who seeks religious knowledge." The Taliban although a fairly new religious group in its organizational name, is an old philosophy in respect that the followers of Islam should be unrestricted followers with no outside hindrance to the followings of Mohammed. The Taliban can date its origins back to the Soviet incursion in the region in the 1980s. The initial group of Taliban was made up of mostly Mujahedeen Soldiers and Pashtun fighters. It was their belief that the followers of Islam had lost their way, and through their effort they would reestablish moral order and justice in a society of adulators and criminals. This philosophy or belief is believed to originate at the Madrassas in Pakistan. The teachings learned at the Madrassas sought to teach a skewed form of Islam similar to that of the orthodox Islam followers, which is practiced in Saudi Arabia. This form of Islam is known as Wahhabis. In following the faith the Taliban seeks to shun modern society and revert back to the days of little to no technology and live as people did in the early days of man. (Eben, 2009)

The final true emergence of the Taliban took place after the conquest of the Soviets. In time the Mujahedeen fighters became disillusioned with efforts to restore the country and its prosperity. They sought a way to emerge from the throws of repression and rise to new levels within their society. They centered themselves around Mullah Mohammed Omar. And they called themselves Taliban or religious followers. This brought about Omar adopting the title of amir-ul-momineen. (Commander of the faithful). In the areas under the control of the Taliban they enforced sharia law and prevented women from working outside the house, and enforcing corporal punishment for those that committed crimes. The Taliban had arrived. (Taylor, 2003)

The question at hand now that we have outlined the birth of the Taliban, is what were the factors that led to the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan? This is a very deep and moving question and not easily answered. We will however attempt to dissect this issue to allow you the reader a full understanding at how a ragtag group of fighters and tribesman would grow to become one of the most elusive fighting forces ever to control a country and its people.

There are many different factors that led to the rise of the Taliban, and they vary from the assistance provided by Pakistan ISI, to the influence excreted by the Saudi Government, as well as the desire of the people. The foremost factor that led to the rise of the Taliban falls on the beliefs of General Zia, who in an attempt to make some short term political gains sought to radicalize the Islamic faith, and sacrifice long term stability.

This was accomplished through his efforts to appease the people in the tribal region of Pakistan along the Afghanistan border. It is in this area that the birth of the Taliban would take place. General Zia took steps to establish Madrassas in this area of Pakistan to educate the people. It was through these teaching he sought to train a new form of Islamic follower. He supported the radicalization through these efforts moving Pakistan from a moderate society to a radical society of Islamic followers. The problem with this policy is that once these people were indoctrinated into the more radical form of Islam it could not be contained. He essentially sacrificed his short term political gain for long term instability. (Fillingham, 2009) The efforts to win over the population were carried out by the Pakistani ISI at the direction of General Zia.

We have addressed that step Pakistan was taking to radicalize Pakistan long before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. It was however through the actions of the Soviets that would lead to the unprecedented expansion of radical Islam. The early efforts to win over the population of Pakistan essentially spilt over into Afghanistan. This was due to the intervention of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The United States at the beginning of the conflict in Afghanistan sought to stop the Soviet aggression in the region, but did not seek to have a head on confrontation between the two super powers. The United States essentially developed a plan to support the efforts to stop the aggression through proxy states to act on the behalf. This effort was accomplished through the use of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan. The United State provided the cash for supplying the resistance in Afghanistan. The funds provided by the United States were in return matched by the Saudi Monarchy. The weapons were purchased from the Egyptian Government and transfer to Pakistan.