ABSTRACT
Central to the beliefs and values of the Taliban are their madrassahs – residential schools concentrating on the teaching of the Qu'ran and the Sharia. Other versions of Islam, other religions, and worldly activities are condemned, and the doctrine Jihad is emphasised. Another feature is the committee for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice. This enforces obedience to Sharia law by harsh penalties and the subordinate status of women. Built upon existing ties of tribe and family, the Taliban seem strange to Western sensibilities. However, their conviction of their own rightness and hostility to others is shared by current populist nationalism.
