The Taliban Reader War, Islam and Politics in their Own Words

Who are the Taliban? Are they a militant movement? Are they religious scholars? The fact that these and other questions are still raised with frequency is testimony to the way the movement has been studied, often at arm's length and with scant use of primary sources.

The Taliban Reader forges a new path, bringing together an extensive range of largely unseen sources in a guide to the Afghan Islamist movement from a unique insider perspective. Ideal for students, journalists and scholars alike, this book is the result of an unprecedented, decade-long effort to encourage the emergence of participant-centered accounts of Afghan history.

This ground-breaking collection, ranging from news articles and opinion pieces to online publications and poems transcribed by hand in the field, sets the stage for a recalibration of how we understand and study the Afghan Taliban. It challenges researchers to forge new norms in the documentation of conflict and provides insight into the future trajectory of political Islamism in South Asia and the Middle East.

Alex Strick van Linschoten is a researcher and writer based in Amman, Jordan. His previous books include, with Felix Kuehn, Poetry of the Taliban, An Enemy We Created and My Life with the Taliban. He holds a PhD in War Studies from King's College London. Felix Kuehn is a researcher and writer based in Berlin. He has worked in Afghanistan since 2006, focusing on the Taliban insurgency and the history of southern Afghanistan over the past four decades. He is a PhD candidate at the War Studies Department of King's College London.

Introduction
PART 1 MUJAHEDEEN AND TOPAKIYAAN (19791994)
1 The Taliban Fronts
2 Desert Attack
3 Miracles of the Jihad
4 Soviet Andrei
5 Martyr Hajji Mullah Mohammad Osman Akhund
6 The Men with Guns

PART 2 ISLAMIC EMIRATE OF AFGHANISTAN (19942001)

Nascent State (19941996)
7 The Beginning
8 Message of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Movement of the Taliban
9 Oh Proud People of this Country! Get to Know the Taliban Movement!
10 Simple Lives
11 For the Implementation of Allah's Law
12 The Aim of Our Jihad is to Implement Islamic principles
13 The Muslim People of Kandahar Will Support the Islamic Movement ?of the Taliban Until Their Last Breath
14 Custom Tax Starts, Following the Request of Traders and the Decree ?of the Religious Scholars
15 A Talib Does Not Want Anything Else
16 It is an Obligation for All Religious Leaders and the People to do ?Jihad Against the Oppressors
17 In the Dictionary of Islam, Martyrdom Does Not Mean Death 8
18 What Did a Martyred Talib Want? 8
19 Politics and Government in the Light of Islam
20 Who Should be the Caliph and What Should He Do?
21 Mullah Mohammad Omar Akhund: We Are Trying to Prevent Any ?Conflict in the Country
22 The Secret of Our Success Lies in Obedience
23 The Current Circumstance and the Responsibilities of the Religious ?Scholars
24 We Are Not Racists, Nor Are We Narrow-Minded
25 Leave Us Alone
26 Message from Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Ludhianvi
27 Obedience to the Amir
28 Visitors from London

Beginning Government (19961998)
29 Special Announcement of AmiruL-Mu'Mineen Following the Takeover?of Kabul
30 Negative Responses to the Islamic Government's Objectives
31 The Way of Deliverance: Q&A with Mawlawi Abdul Ali Deobandi
32 Speech by Mullah Mohammad Omar
33 The Group
34 Only the Islamic Emirate Can Bring Country-Wide Peace
35 Opening a Library For Jihadi Relics
36 Great and Historic Poetry-Reading Contest Held as an Initiative of?Shariat Weekly
37 Historic Poetry-Reading Contest of Shariat Weekly: A Great Example?of the Islamic Movement's Promotion of
Poetry and Literature
38 Message of the Head of the Supervisory Council to Participants of the Poetry-Reading Contest
39 The Resolution of the Frontier Tribal-Wide Jirga
40 Your Letters, Our Responses
41 The Martyrs Are Here
42 On Becoming the 'Islamic Emirate'
43 Interview with Mullah Mohammad Omar
44 The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice
45 All of Our Efforts Are for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention?of Vice
46 Mullah Mohammad Omar and the Apple

Isolation and Retrenchment (19982001)
47 The Responsibilities of an Amir and His Officials in the Islamic Shari'a
48 Accomplishments of the Taliban Islamic Movement and Its Aims
49 Ways of Protecting the Islamic Movement from Veering Off Course
50 We Should Use Soft Language While Enforcing the Promotion of Virtue
51 Our Madrassas Need Various Reforms
52 Blind Memorisers of the Holy Qur'an Will Have The Rights of Grade Three Employees
53 Martyr Friend
54 Even if Osama Leaves the Country, the Line of American Excuses Will Still Remain Long
55 Instead of Tackling the Real Culprits, the UN Security Council Threatens Others
56 Message from the Esteemed Leader of the Faithful on International Women's Day
57 Constitution
58 Shari'a Court Punishes Three Criminals?

PART 3 INSURGENCY (2001 )

Shock and Awe (20012003)
59 His Excellency Amir uL-Mumineen's Order
60 Taliban Responses to 11 September
61 Resolution and Fatwa of a Big Gathering of Clerics

Expansion & Revival (20042010)
62 An Interview with Satan
63 Sugar-Coated Poison
64 Layeha: A Jihadi Code of Conduct (2006 Edition)
65 Correcting Some Ideas
66 Message of Amir ul-Mu'mineen to the Nations of Afghanistan and Iraq
67 Our Heroic Martyrs
68 Statement on the Death of Mullah Dadullah
69 One Talib: I'm Fed Up With Jihad
70 Dialogue With an Official From the Political Committee
71 Open Letter to the Shanghai Summit
72 A Glance at the American Elections Drama
73 Can We Call This Reconciliation? 2
74 An In-Depth Interview With Haji Ahmad Saeed, Head of Operations in Kandahar City
75 On the Sudden Death of Holbrooke
76 Mullah Mohammad Omar's Eid ul-Adha Statement
77 Interview With the Islamic Emirate Website Administrator
78 When the Dead Are Living and the Living Are Dead
79 Code of Conduct for the Mujahedeen (2010 Edition)

New Realities (20112017)
80 The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and its Successful Administrative Policy
81 Afghan Women and the American Literacy Programme
82 Response of the Islamic Emirate to the Victory of the Popular Uprising?in Egypt
83 History and the Interests of the Shari'a
84 The Red Cross and Non-Decaying Bodies
85 On the Martyrdom of the Great Martyr Sheikh Osama bin Laden
86 Islamic Revival
87 The Prison Break Story: How Fiction Became Reality
88 On Schools
89 Promotion of Education Inside the Country is One of the Main Objectives of the Islamic Emirate
90 Q&A: Education and Women
91 The Crucial Responsibility of the Nation Towards the Chaste Afghan Women
92 On the Withdrawal of Foreign Troops, the Afghan Case and?Reconciliation
93 Chantilly Conference Statement
94 Q&A: Peace Negotiations
95 Q&A On Amr bil Marouf
96 Q&A: Media Jihad
97 Q&A: A Personal Question
98 Who Should be Executed: The Mujahedeen or the National Traitors?
99 A Historical Tale of Attraction to Jihad
100 The Difference Between Jihad and Fighting
101 Jihad is a Clear and Absolute Obligation of Islam
102 A Number of Important Factors for Jihad
103 Restrictions and Constraints in Jihad (2014)
104 Seven Threats to Jihad
105 Jihad is a Sacred and Holy Adoration!
106 Suicide Attacks and the Shari'a
107 Q&A: Suicide Bombing
108 Q&A: Explosives Training and Civilian Casualties
109 Interview With Mawlawi Ahmad Bilal, Head of the Control and ?Co-Ordination Commission for NGOs and Companies
110 The Nullification of the Recent Talisman of the Invaders
111 A Look at the USAfghan Security and Defence Cooperation ?Agreement
112 The Arabian Peninsula is Fraught With Divine Auspiciousness!
113 The Secret of Muslims' Glory Lies in Their Unity!
114 The Definition, Authority and Purpose of an Amir According to the Shari'a
115 The Afghan People Wants Peace, Their Enemy War
116 Hallmarks of the Islamic Emirate's Jihadi Management
117 Pugwash Talks Statement
118 Special Instructions From the Islamic Emirate's Leadership on Precautionary Means to Prevent Civilian Casualties in the Ongoing Jihad
119 Commemorating the Nineteenth Anniversary of the Historical Gathering and Selection of Amir ul-Mu'mineen on 4 April 1996 in Kandahar
120 9/11: An Incident and a Pretext
121 Islamic Emirate: Solution to All Problems
122 Statement of the Islamic Emirate on the Fifteenth Anniversary of the American Invasion
123 Instructions to the Mujahedeen From the Commander of the Faithful

Notes
Glossary
Further reading
Acknowledgements
Index