The Taliban: Ascent to Power (Hardcover)

by M. J. Gohari (Author) "Afghanistan's historical entity is difficult to divide into clear-cut periods..." (more)
Key Phrases: Saudi Arabia, Abu Hanifah, Mohammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (more...)

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Product Description
For many Westerners, Islam appears to contradict democratic values, yet these perceptions result from the characterization of certain Islamic movements as "radical" or "fundamentalist." This book describes one such movement that has been condemned in the West: the Taliban in Afghanistan. Shedding light on their doctrine, it analyzes the rise of the Taliban and their effect on Afghan society, their impact on Afghanistan's neighbors, and their troubled relationship with the United Nations. It concludes with a short chapter on the life and views of Bin Laden, an elusive radical who has famously and brutally translated his beliefs into action.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 172 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Second Edition edition (September 27, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195795601
• ISBN-13: 978-0195795608
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,506,445 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Review, June 13, 2002

By	Shirin Raza (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Gohari, M.J., The Taliban Ascent to Power, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999 & 2000). Pp. viii+149. 1 photograph. Further reading. Index. ISBN: 0-19-579560-1.

This work can be considered more of an encyclopedia, with detailed definitions of various issues related to the Taliban, intertwined with numerous excerpts illustrating Gohari's stance on those issues. It explores the Taliban from many angles, including the historical, political, and social perspectives. Moreover, it delves into an often-overlooked topic, outlining the battle between the Mujahideen and the Taliban. Gohari also touches upon the role of the UN in Afghani politics, and Islamic fundamentalism globally. From the plague of imperialism upon the country to the birth of the Taliban in Pakistan to international players, Gohari gives a comprehensive look into the many, many facets of the Taliban's existence in the contemporary era.
Remarkably, Gohari succeeds in maintaining a neutral stance regarding the Taliban, something extremely difficult in the post-9/11 era, when hostility and negative accounts of the Taliban are in abundance. Sometimes, this neutrality may be perceived as favor towards the Taliban on Gohari's side, but for the most part the book is free of bias. And, the structure of the book gives the reader a clear distinction between the author's opinions and the factual elements of the chronicle of the Taliban movement.
I would not strongly recommend this book to the average reader. While it is an easy read, the encyclopedia-style narrative does require some diligence on the part of the reader. The book is more suited to those looking for an abundance of information, regarding all aspects of the Taliban, in one place. It seems more of a piece that would serve a student in need of a glance into the Taliban as a starting point for further research. Gohari also provides those interested in the Taliban with an outlet to find more specific areas of interest, in essence giving foundation from which to further explore the Taliban to one that has no previous background in the subject (aside from the attacks of 9/11, of course).

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressive!!, September 4, 2002

By	Ali Usman Qasmi (Lahore, PAKISTAN) - See all my reviews

Taliban s' dizzying ascendancy in the political arena of Afghanistan startled the geo-political pundits. Their origin was obscure and their ambitions vague. Fall of Kandhar & the religious edicts that followed internationalized Taliban s' stature and their potential as one of the main warring factions of Mujahadeen was recognized. However, little could be ascertained about their origin, as during the Soviet occupation, their existence was rather unknown or was not so prominent as it turned out be after the Kandhar take over. But the international community was apprehensive of Taliban s' religious rigidity and so their origin, funding resources, training facilities, recruiting grounds and religious ideals _ all became the focus of attention. Resultantly, quite a number of good books can now be seen in the market. But very few of them look at the issues with a researchers' purity & neutrality. More than often these books are value-laden. The best book to date comes from Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and a veteran of Afghan affairs for the last 22 years. The present book under review may not be called as an enviable addition to the plethora of material on Afghan affairs. The book suffers from the serious deficiency of being devoid of any references at all which is an astonishing deficiency to be noted in a book published by Oxford University Press, by a writer who happens to reside in Oxford with all conceivable facilities for research writing at his disposal. The book is not so much about Taliban as it is about the background of their religious and spiritual beliefs. It would have been better if the writer had tried to link their past with the present practices. The book starts with a brief introduction of Afghan history, showing how imperialistic standoff between Britain & Soviets in the late 19th century gradually ended in the favor of later when the "Great Saur Revolution" of 1978 led to the establishment of Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and Soviets signed a Treaty of Friendship in December 1978. The Marxist state was resented by Tribes and hence unrest resulted and the Soviets intervened to keep Afghans under their sphere of influence and hence started an era of unending suffering for the people of Afghanistan. After the Geneva accord, civil strife among the Mujahadeen themselves eluded the chances of Peace. Even the 1993 peace deal failed to deliver sustainable peace. By the end of 1994 the peace treaty had collapsed, fighting resumed among the rival factions and there arose in Southern Afghanistan another militant group Taliban, capturing the cities of Kandhar & Charasiab, eventually taking over Kabul in 1996 to establish a new government for Afghanistan based on Islamic Law. In the next chapter, the author has narrated brief biographical sketches of different Mujahadeen factions including Ahmed Shah Masood. Burhan-ud-din Rabbani, Hikmatyaar, Younis Khalis and others. This chapter has little relevance given the scope of the book. The chapter about the history of Hanfite school of theology yields one or two important but incomplete conclusions. First the writer notes that Abu Hanifah was a Persian. "He is the son of a nation that is currently neighboring Afghanistan and whose language has had a deep impact on the historical and cultural progress of the whole region." Secondly, the author believes that "Hanafites are equipped with appropriate tools as well as sufficient liberty to bring together the long standing traditions of Islam with the requirements of modern life." In the actual scenario however, neither Iran s' cultural ancestry seems to have an influence over Afghans nor the Taliban are imbued with the modern spirit that Hanafitism supposedly implies. The writer believes that the Taliban s' experiment with democracy is more transparent than that of Iranians. Unlike the Supreme Leader of Iran, Mullah Omar cannot over rule the edicts put forth by majority of Mullahs. He called upon Ulemas to deliberate upon a 6 point "istifta" (religious inquiry) which shows the importance attached to mutual consultation in the eyes of Taliban. "This pattern is clearly visible in the historical relations between the Saudi rulers and the Wahabi Ulema starting from Ibn-e-Saud, the grand ancestor of the current house of Saud, until today". The chapter regarding the economy under Taliban is replete with details about natural resources of Afghanistan & possible ventures for foreign investments, & surprisingly one of these lucrative temptations is Tourism. Rest of the chapter deal with the Quranic injunctions regarding Economic affairs and very little detail is available about any comprehensive Economic policy, if any, being pursued by Taliban. On the whole the book could have been improved a lot if proper references had been made and a coherent relation established between the historical descriptions and the present implications. The book may be appreciated by those readers who want an elementary crash course on the religious affinities of Taliban and the socio-political ambitions they cherish.