The Taliban Movement - Research Paper

Introduction

The Taliban movement is credited in the bombing of New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington D.C in the year 2001, with the US government, strongly linking the attack to the involvement of the al-Qaeda group.Furthermore, Osama Bin Laden is acknowledged as the mastermind behind the bombings with all the operations and planning conducted in Afghanistan headquarters. With the US government and analysts all over the world questioning the motive behind the bombings, critics tend to question the involvement of some foreign governments involvement in Afghanistan operations that spark the movement. Dating to back to history, Afghanistan is a country characterized by tribal and civil wars it being a multi-dimension ethnic Islamic state. The tribal wars involved communities such as the Pashtuns, Shia-Hazaras, Uzbeks and the Tajiks. The rise in the influence of the Soviet Union put the Americans at an alarming state. As a result, to counter the Soviet influence, the Americans invested more than three billion US currency in an Anti-Soviet war, which saw the exit of the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in the year 1989. However, after the war, the Americans left behind a country politically and economically poor characterized by tribal wars that further gave birth to the Taliban movement.

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Additionally, American anthropologists Shahrani in his article the War, Factionalism and the state of Afghanistan suggest that long has the Taliban movement and state of wars in Afghanistan have been credited to ethnic factionalism and culture incoherence. However, his research tends to take an opposing view and credits the rise of the Taliban movement to foreign involvement in Afghanistan. Sharani suggests that both government far and neighbor constitute a share of the wars. First and foremost, multinational corporations such as Unocal of California, Delta Oil of Saudi Arabia and Bridas of Argentina have interfered directly in the country affairs in pursuit of their greedy self-interest. The foreign countries have tried to reduce the influence of the Islamic revolution and undermine the possibility of a military Jihad to protect their corporations. A good example is in the year 1995, during the construction of a natural gas pipeline through Afghanistan from the countries Pakistan and Turkmenistan that involved companies Unocal and Delta Oil. As Pakistan saw the usefulness of the project, they deployed Mullah Omar's movement naming it "Taliban," a movement of seminary students to safeguard the operations of the project. As a result, they equipped the movement with logistical support, money, and weapons to secure a corridor for Pakistan to build the natural gas pipeline across western sides of Afghanistan.

In his article Crescent Sword and Enigma, Knudsen credits the rise of Hamas in Gaza to the constant involvement of Israelites in the Gaza string. The uprising well known as Intifada represents the movement of the Palestinian residence against the Israelites. The first intifada embarked as Israeli trucks collided with a vehicle transporting Palestine workers that eventually turned to become a revolution. Hamas is an acronym meaning Islamic Resistance Movement (Harakat al-Muqwama al-islamiyya ) that would further participate in the uprising4. On accounts the uprising fails, then the Islamic Center would escape Israel retribution, and if they succeeded, they would have a chance to claim the organization on its own. Just like most Islamic movements in the Middle East, Knudsen suggests that the Hamas received funds from foreigners mostly in the Gulf countries. Since its inception, the movement has received a sum approximated to be between US$40 to US$704. With much information pointed out, Knudsen suggests the role of Hamas was to win the population of people in the Gaza Strip, presently the center of Palestinian Islamism. The movement attempted to take a more peaceful approach contrary to Islamic Jihad that believed in deploying the war to counter oppression. However, Knudsen views Hamas as a Muslim extremist organization due to its frequent suicidal missions and advocating against resistance. The root towards Hamar successful operations was the people's support, which proved to be the lifeblood of the majority of moments. As a result, most Palestinian intifadas have been closely linked to the organization that further led to high level of support to the Israeli people occupation in Gaza and West Bank. Most of Palestine's residents did not advocate for the use of war and terror to counter oppression. With leaders such as Fateh and PLO trying to impose peaceful means to conclude such as the Oslo Accords and the DOP, Hamas sought to break any means possible. Such efforts proved to prevent more Palestinian infighting. Bearing in mind the organization had widespread support, the twin assassinations of Yasin and Rantisi in the year 2004, sparked the revolution. The revolution was further intensified by the Killings of 300 leaders of the organization that further stimulated crackdown to Gaza and West Bank.

Gelvin in his article resistance attributes the rise of the movement to replace a dictatorial monarchy and while safeguarding Islamic Jurists. The revolution served as a backlash against westernization and modernization of Iran during the reign of Shah as people perceived Shah as the puppet of the United States. Gelvin in his article suggests that Americans exploited Iranian resources blatantly and that the Shah regime was brutal, dictatorial and oppressive in pursuit of his self-interest. Being the founder of the dynasty, Shah opted to replace Islamic laws and traditions with western ones, and thus cultural practices such as wearing of hijabs by women to conceal their beauty were eradicated at the expense of American culture and norms6. Women who opted to resist had their chadors forcefully removed and torn. Gelvin further suggests that Ayatollah Khomeini is acknowledged as the individual who gave birth to Iranian resistance. Deeming it as a white revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini started the Islamic Republican Party to counter westernization and safeguard Islamic culture. Through the ideology of guardianship of the jurists, Ayatollah Khomeini strived to protect Islam from non-believers foreigners and deviation from Sharia law. Through the party, Gelvin suggests that Khomeini attempted to reduce poverty, injustice and American intruders in Iran.

On the other hand, Khomeini insisted that the Shah was on a quest to eliminate Islam in Iran7. Following his words, he was arrested as his sentiments were on public grounds. Ensuing his arrest, Iranian followers who were against Shah Ideologies and supporters of Khomeini crowded the streets of Iran, which saw a number approximated to 15000 people killed. The movement further grew against President Rezah Shah Rule, and upon Khomeini release, Ayatollah continued to condemn Shah Regime. In the year 1964, Khomeini was re-arrested and sent to exile for 14 years until the revolution. In the course of the revolution, Khomeini articulated the Western Culture as a vice that intoxicates purity of the Islamic law. Khomeini was a firm believer in martyrdom and revolt to counter injustice and tyranny and further considered them in accordance to Shia Islam. He articulates that Iran should resist communism and capitalism, with the slogan "Neither east nor west" in preserving Islamic rules and culture.

Rabani credits the rise of Hezbollah movements to some significant incidents in Lebanon. First and foremost, the research attributes Iran's Islamic Revolution effects to cause the birth of the Hezbollah. Even though the two countries are not close geographically, the Shia were long receptive to Islamic revolution. As Khomeini returned to Iran from exile, he became the chief ideologist for the Shias both inside and outside Iran and hence played a huge part in the birth of the Hezbollah movements. Additionally, to combat military defeat, the Lebanese sought to strengthen their military power after Israel invaded the country in the year 1978. To remove the PLO from Lebanon, military force was in need; hence the Hezbollah movements had a lot of significance. Furthermore, as Lebanon gained independence in the year 1943, the Shia was in support for any movement that protected their interests9. Being a state that was governed by a Maronite-Sunni, the Shia more than ever before, needed an organization that represented them. Hezbollah movement grew as a result.

American anthropologist Lila Abu Lughord, in the article, "Do Muslim women need saving?" articulates the harm women in the Middle East are subjected to in the hands of the Taliban movement. Complementing research done by Sharani, that viewed women as a minority group worth existence in the hands of the Taliban movement, Lila narrows her research to Bibi Aysha photo that showed the suffering she went through in the hands of her Taliban husband. Her research suggested that the photo is a presentation of what happens to Muslim women in Afghanistan9. Women for Afghan Women (WAW), took the photo in a shelter in Kabul Afghanistan, with Bibi Aysha waiting to be sent to the states for reconstructive surgery. The photo exhibited a severe beating that further raised a red flag for to needs to save muslin women in Afghanistan. In her research, a member of the WAW vehemently spoke needs to take affirmative action to safeguard women from Taliban movement suggesting "A bloodbath if we leave Afghanistan." Lila Abu Lughord further suggests that Afghan women were suffering from ill health, malnutrition, class politics, and poverty. Additionally, women were bestowed opportunities to be employed, go to school or wear nail polish, proving beyond doubt the needs to save Muslim women in Afghanistan.

Conclusion

Therefore, based on the arguments above and the recent occurrences in the Muslim world, Islam nationalism and Islamism are ideologically opposed and contradictory, as some news observers of the Islamic Revolution of 1979 once believed. This is because despite the two doctrines advocating for the spread of Islam Islamic nationalism has led to numerous impacts on the lives of Muslims negatively contrary to what various Islamism doctrines like Islamic revival stands for.

Bibliography

Abu-Lughod, Lila. "Do Muslim Women Need Saving?" 2013. doi:10.4159/9780674726338.

James, Gelvin L. "The Modern Middle East: A History." History: Reviews of New Books 33, no. 3 (2016), 117-117. doi:10.1080/03612759.2005.10526592....