Fundamentalism Reborn?: Afghanistan Under the Taliban

A collection of essays tracing the rebirth of fundamentalism in Afghanistan

In 1996, the world watched with varying degrees of interest, surprise, and unease as armed, ultra-fundamentalist insurgents overthrew the Afghan government. Within days of their victory, the Taliban, a militant Islamic sect, were issuing draconian religious decrees, restricting women's employment and movement, rounding up Afghans at gunpoint to pray five times a day, and publicly executing political opponents and criminals.

Composed of essays commissioned from the foremost experts on the Taliban, this anthology traces the movement's origins, its ascendance, the reasons for its success, and its role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Crucial to the Taliban's staying power as a governing force will be its relations with neighboring countries and with the West. Interestingly, given their intense hatred of Iran, the Taliban were enthusiastically supported by the U.S. government up to the very moment of their triumphant arrival in Kabul.

Examining yet another country on the brink of ethnic disintegration, Fundamentalism Reborn? is a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the history, rise to power, and future of the most dramatic manifestation of Islamic fundamentalism since the Iranian revolution.

Author: William Maley
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 03/01/1998
Pages: 253
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.84lbs
Size: 8.52h x 5.46w x 0.81d
ISBN: 9780814755860

About the Author
Maley, William: - William Maley is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of New South Wales.