Afghanistan

by Gen
What is Afghanistan's culture?
Who are the taliban?
What happened in Afghanistan under Taliban rule?

All these questions and more will be answered.

But First a few facts:
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Afghanistan

Capital: Kabul
Language: Pashto and Persian

Government: Islamic Republic
President: Hamid Karzai
Vice President: Ahmad Zia Massoud

Area: 251,772 sq mi

Population: 29,863,000

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To answer the questions...

What is Afghanistan's Culture?

Afghanistan's culture is largley influenced by Islam but has also been influenced by religions such as Buddism and Zoroastranism. Afghanistan has been a crossroad for India, Iran, and Central Asia which has influenced its culture.

One of the most famous types of Afghan Art is the Gandhara Art between the 1st and 7th centuries which had Greco-Roman ancestry. Since the 1900's Afghanistan began to use Western techniques in art. Art was mostly done by men... but recently women are dominating theatre art. Art is largely centered in the Kabul Museum.

Who are the Taliban?

The taliban is a Sunni Islamist fundamentalist movement which effectively ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001.

The group, comprised of Afghans trained in religious schools in Pakistan along with former Islamic fighters or mujahedin, proved effective bodyguards, driving off other mujahedin groups who attacked and looted the convoy.

What happened to Afghanistan under Taliban rule?

They went on to take the nearby city of Kandahar, beginning a remarkable advance which led to their capture of the capital, Kabul, in September 1996.

The Taliban's popularity with many Afghans initially surprised the country's warring mujahedi factions.

As ethnic Pashtuns, a large part of their support came from Afghanistan's Pashtun community, disillusioned with existing ethnic Tajik and Uzbek leaders.

But it was not purely a question of ethnicity. Ordinary Afghans, weary of the prevailing lawlessness in many parts of the country, were often delighted by Taleban successes in stamping out corruption, restoring peace and allowing commerce to flourish again.

Their refusal to deal with the existing warlords whose rivalries had caused so much killing and destruction also earned them respect.

The Taleban said their aim was to set up the world's most pure Islamic state, banning frivolities like television, music and cinema.

Their attempts to eradicate crime have been reinforced by the introduction of Islamic law including public executions and amputations.

A flurry of regulations forbidding girls from going to school and women from working quickly brought them into conflict with the international community.

Such issues, along with restrictions on women's access to health care, have also caused some resentment among ordinary Afghans.

The Taleban now control all but the far north of the country, which is the last stronghold of the ethnic Tajik commander Ahmed Shah Masood.

With 90% of the country under their control, the Taleban have continued to press claims for international recognition.

But the Afghan seat at the United Nations continues to be held by former President Burhanuddin Rabbani.

The UN sanctions which have now been imposed on the country make it even less likely that the Taleban will gain that recognition.

The sanctions are intended to force the Taleban to hand over the Saudi-born militant Osama Bin Laden, who is accused by the United States of plotting the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 250 people.

The Taleban say that Osama Bin Laden is a guest in their country, and they will not take action against him.