Taliban justice

      The Taliban are primarily from the Pashtun tribes and thus are strict adherents of the Pushtunwali. Their founder was Mullah Mohammed Omar, who operated a madrassa, an Islamic school which uses the Quran as the primary text.  Taliban comes from the Arabic word for student, and Omar's original force consisted of armed students led by madrassa teachers with military experience from the Soviet Occupation, much like Omar himself. 

     The Taliban conquered most of Afghanistan in the 1990s due to a popular reaction against the cruelty of the warlords under the Soviets. Many expected the Taliban to bring law, order, and justice to the ravaged country of Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate was recognized only by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. While in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban enforced the strictest interpretation of Sharia law ever seen in the Muslim world. The Sharia is the sacred law of Islam. The Sharia derives from the Qur'an, and the collection of Muhammad's sayings known as the Hadith. A pious Muslim is expected therefore to pattern their life after the prophet's in dress, diet, and prayer.

     The Taliban are ultra fundamentalist Islamists. They have interpreted the teachings of the Quran and Sharia Law to justify their treatment of women and impose their will upon their enemies. Under Taliban rule, women were forced to wear the Burqa in public, they were not allowed to work or to be educated after the age of eight, and they faced public flogging if found outside their home without a male family member escort. As the Taliban consolidated their hold on Afghanistan, they banned "frivolous" activities such as music, computers, television, chess, or flying kites, and destroyed many of the shrines of other faiths such as the ancient Buddha statues. Public executions and floggings for violations of Taliban interpretation of the Sharia became a common sight in community soccer fields. 

     When Osama bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qaeda and author of the 9/11 attacks fled to Afghanistan in 1996, he promptly forged an alliance with Mullah Omar, and provided both financial and tactical support as the Taliban seized control of the country.