Authors: Anchita Borthakur & Angana Kotokey
Affiliation: Jawaharlal Nehru University/Delhi, India
Organization/Publisher: Journal of International Relations and Sustainable Development.
Date/Place: October 2020/ India
Type of Literature: Journal Article
Number of Pages: 21
Keywords: Afghanistan, ISI, Taliban, Religion, Ethnicity, Pashtun.
Brief:
This article provides an overlook of the origin of the Taliban from ethnic and religious perspectives. The emergence of the Taliban is said to be the product of the Mujahedin factionalism and the Pashtun grievance over the loss of power to non-Pashtun Mujahedins. To link the ethnic affiliation with the Taliban, this piece quotes some critical literature that indicates the Pashtun norms and customs “Pashtunwali” as the official Taliban code of conduct blended with Sharia law. It also emphasizes the role of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the creation of the Taliban as a formal movement. An abstract overview of the flank’s “Shuras” of the Taliban with their foreign ties are also highlighted. The Taliban leadership is recruited by their religious, tribal, and political networks which the tribal factor has been more influential. In theory, the Taliban ideology is solely Islamic, but in reality the tribal affiliation is apparent. The Taliban lacks a precisely defined ideology. Contrary to the genesis of this movement, the post-2001 Taliban has a “national liberation” ideology to end the foreign occupation. Overall, the Taliban version of Islam and Pashtunism is not a totality of Pashtun ethnicity or Islam religion as a whole but a blended version of their own understanding. As a result of internal rivalries and factional politics in post-2001, the non-Pashtun minority could be seen within the Taliban movement.
By: Abdullah Jurat, CIGA Senior Research Associate
