Transnational Islamist Debates about the Taliban

Abstract

In 1995, many Islamists seemed torn about the policies and practices of the emerging Taliban in Afghanistan. On the one hand, the Taliban could be seen as freedom fighters struggling against infidels (and foreign intervention) to create an Islamic society governed according to strict adherence to Islamic law, or sharica. On the other hand, Taliban leaders were implementing extremely repressive measures not only against the Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs - that had long coexisted with Afghanistan's majority Muslims - but also against Afghani Muslims. Why did the Taliban create such uneasiness among Islamists? The following examines transnational dialogues among Islamists as they debated whether or not to support the Taliban.