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Introduction
Afghanistan has for many years been the convergence zone for the two neighbouring continents of Asia and Europe. These two civilizations were and are still divergent both in ideology and religious doctrines. These differences were evident as the two tried to take control of Afghanistan (Fiscus, 2004). It is due to its strategic position that Afghanistan drew such interest from the West and the Arab world in equal measure. It is in this country of many mountains, which these two cultures met and clashed to pave way for the end of the Cold War and the disintegration of one of the superpowers; the Soviet Union. Afghanistan has a long history with its people originating from different cultures, converging there before the emergent of Islamic religion and culture (Aspaturian, 1996). Before the 1st Century Buddhism was the dominant religion and Islam was practiced by only a few native Afghans who lived in small enclaves and isolated. Many other people invaded Afghanistan ranging from Greeks, Aryans, Turks, British, and Russians; all wanting to take control of Afghanistan. It is believed that between the period 1800 to 800 BC, Afghanistan (then called the Land of Aryans) was home to the first practice and belief of Zoroastrianism (Cordesman, 2002). At one time even Alexander the Great tried in vain to conquer Afghanistan. It is the resilience of the people and harshness of the terrain that made it difficult to conquer the country that borders Pakistan to the South, Iran to the West, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan to the east (as was demarcated by the British colonialists to separate the country from British India in 1893) (Roy 1990). It was not until the 7th Century that Muslim Arabs invaded the region and took possession of Western Afghanistan dislodging all other cultures like the Kushans who occupied the region. By 709 AD Muslim Arabs had conquered most of Afghanistan and administered Islamic Religion. Most of the local population slowly converted to Islam turning Afghanistan into one of the strongest Muslim countries (Aspaturian, 2006). It was during this period that the country was annexed into territories controlled and ruled by warlords who had the executive authority to govern the people. The warlords became effective agents of spreading and strengthening Islam. These territories were based on tribes and different clans. Afghanistan during this period extended into what is today Pakistan to northern India with its capital as Kabul. The territory went through so many wars as different groups fought for the occupation of the area. Before the Afghan-Soviet war of 1979, there was the Anglo-Afghan war of 1839-1842 and 1878-1880 as the British attempted to colonize the country (Bonosky, 1985).
Afghan as it is known today, came into existence in 1747 during the reign of Pashtun Ahmad Shah who had changed his name to Durran (pearl of pearls), to establish Afghanistan as the Durrani Empire. The Durrani Empire ruled over the Afghans for over a hundred years before the attacks by the Persians. The current borders of Afghanistan were determined by the British by the 19th Century following the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 1800s which lasted until 1919 (Lia, 2006). The British who were now exercising dominance of the world fought to colonize Afghanistan for this long time. It was until 1920 that King Amanullah assumed power and defeated the British that Afghanistan gained its independence and became a sovereign country.
Afghanistan was now completely ruled by its people. But this was not without challenges as many rulers governed undemocratically. Many of its rulers who had an interest in taking over the governance of Afghanistan were either assassinated or overthrown. These rulers came to form the native Afghan Abdali tribe which comprised of Popalzay and Barakzay clans (Collins, 1985). Up to 2001 when the Taliban took over the reins of the leadership, eight monarchs had been assassinated from 1919 to 1979 and the rest overthrown. In 1979 a communist leader Dr. Mohamed Najibullah took over the leadership with the support of the Soviet Union but was later deposed by the Taliban in 1989 after Russians withdrew from Afghanistan. Talibans, who were supported by Saudi-born Osama Bin Laden, ruled the country up to 2001 (Aspaturian, 2006).
The only ruler who enjoyed a long period in the reign is King Zahir Shah, ruling from 1933 to 1973, but his brother plotted and overthrew him in a bloodless coup. After five years the entire King’s family was executed during the Great Saur Revolution led by the communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan which took over the government. Communist system controlled Afghanistan for consecutive governments (Butterworth and Zartman, 1992). It was during this time that Communism was at loggerheads with Capitalist West-leading into what was later known as Cold War. It was a war of ideology where the fight for dominance antagonized the US and her British allies on one side and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) on the other. As a strategy to wage the war on proximity, the US began to fund and train anti-government forces going by the name Mujahedeen forces.
Using Pakistan as the focal point and training ground US alienated the government against its people using disgruntled Islamic elements who opposed the communist system. On the other hand, the Soviet Union had planned to expand its borders to the South making part of Afghanistan her territory. Although the Soviets had annexed some parts of Afghanistan before, they had no outright attack on the country. It was through the imposition of the communist regime that Afghan people felt their sovereignty and rights had been violated and lodged a rebellion against the Soviet-supported government. With the secret support of the US, the rebels were audacious in their attacks (Afghanistan War, 2008). Soviets knew her territory had been invaded by foreign antagonistic powers and had to exert their authority. What resulted was a conflict and confrontation that was fighting for ideological dominance, and the battleground was Afghanistan. Citing the 1978 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Good Neighborliness Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, which led to millions of people fleeing the country (Arnold and Vizirani, 1985). More than five million people fled and lived as refugees into the neighboring Iran and Pakistan (Collins, 1995). It was these refugees who later converged and formed rebel groups ready to attack the establishments of Afghanistan. These were the Talibans and the Mujahedeen. The US-trained Mujahedeen rebels contributed to the killing of 15,000 soviet soldiers that led to Soviet pull-out ten years later in 1989. It is the Soviet attack on Afghanistan that led to the formation and taking root of the Taliban.
Soviet War in Afghanistan
When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, they underestimated the harshness of the terrain, the torture of the scorching heat, and the effect of hostile neighbors. The religious differences between the Soviets and the Afghans contributed immensely to the unity of the people against the occupation. Afghan neighbors were all ready and willing to help defeat the enemy. The Soviets were seeking to expand the territory to the South on the pretext of supporting the communist regime (Afghanistan, 2010). In April 1978, the communist government led by Mohammed Najibullah was formed after the former leader was overthrown in a coup. At a time when Cold War was at its peak, the communist leader Soviet Union sought to expand its dominance and territorial boundaries. Among the appropriate strategies was toppling the government of Afghanistan and installing a government that would respect and follow the communist system. When Dr. Mohammed Najibullah took over power he built new schools, expanded the space on freedom of expression, and even liberated girls. This was in total disregard of what people believe to be Islamic doctrine. With the leader having gone against the wishes of the people it was easy to appeal to them to rise against the government. A new system was in place but the people considered it authoritarian and therefore opposed it. Dr. Najibullah did all these after changing the constitution moving Afghanistan from a Muslim state to a communist state. His system of governance was opposed by many warlords and the rebels who had excised regions of entire Afghanistan. The rebels were supported financially and in military training by the US (Collins, 1995). The US was opposed to the Soviet’s expansion of her regions. The only sure way to stop this was to establish a common enemy who was the Soviets and Najibullah’s communist government using the warlords and the rebels who were opposed to the coup and imposition of communism in Afghanistan. There was a common enemy that brought together very unlikely friends: Afghanistan and the US. The government of Najibullah was very unstable as the rebels gained strength and prominence. Having imported the system of governance that was being opposed by the Soviet Union, it was only necessary for Afghanistan to seek support from the country. It was in December 1979 when Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev authorized his troops to move to Afghanistan and the Soviet soldiers started moving into Kabul (Galeotti, 1995). The rebels understood their country and ground terrain very well. They knew how to survive. When the Soviets arrived who were strangers and underestimated the harshness of the environment and people they faced very dire consequences (Afghan War, 2009).
More so, there was an unlikely friend of Afghanistan who was willing to help them to overcome the overbearing enemy; this was the US. It was not in the interest of Afghanistan that America got involved in the conflict. But America took up the Afghan war as a proxy to test the military might of their enemies without burning their fingers. Then US President Jimmy Carter was well aware of the war and the implications of the war to the world’s stability and world politics. It was at this time when these ideological powers were fighting for dominance in what was called the Cold War. The US did not commit her troops like the Soviets but funded the Afghan opposition known as the Mujahedeen (freedom fighters). Carter’s successor Ronald Reagan continued financing and training the Mujahedeen without direct involvement in the war. On the other hand, America was condemning the Soviet Union for invading Afghanistan dealing a psychological blow to their confidence in war (RIA, 2010). While the Mujahedeen were being used as puppets to fight the war, the effects were taking a toll with the flooding of unchecked arms landing in the hands of the local people of Afghanistan. With indomitable spirit and help from the US, Afghan rebels led by the Mujahedeen were determined to win the war. Among the popular warlords was the Ahamad Shah Massoud who launched a deadly attack on the Soviet troops through his guerrilla tactics (Reuvenerny et al, 1996). As the war continued many of the Mujahedeen crossed over to neighboring Pakistan from where they used to launch attacks. However, it was this proliferation of small arms and uncontrolled flooding of weaponry that gave rise to the Taliban and its leader Osama Bin Laden (OSA, 2010).
As the US continued to secretly fund the Mujahedeen, they on the other hand condemned the Soviet Union for flouting international laws by invading a sovereign country. With the help of Britain, the US piled pressure on the Soviet Union. As was expected religion was a key factor in fanning the war. It was the sympathy that used to get to the hearts of the people (Meher, 2004). The Mujahedeen were able to depict the war as an attack of the Muslim religion. Many Muslims from neighboring countries and the entire Arab world thronged Afghanistan to wage war against an unpopular and secular communist regime. Among these sympathizers was Saudi-born Osama Bin Laden. Through his army known as Al-Qaeda, Osama’s effort was felt by the Soviet Soldiers. Then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev contemplated withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan (Arnold, 1995). The cost of the war was very high and there were no immediate benefits that could be associated with winning the war. On the other hand, the Americans were achieving their prime goal of cutting communism dominance to size using the Mujahedeen. It was not until February 1989 that the Soviet Union failed to sustain the war and decided to pull out of Afghanistan leaving a weak Najibullah regime that was in opposition to its people (Hilali, 2005). It was on this belief that the government of President Najibullah had invited foreigners to wage war on its people that exited religious sentiments and hence won the support of other countries, especially from the Muslim world.
Post-War Withdraw Syndrome
After the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan the country was in total disarray. The focus of the American and her Western partners was shifted to economic troubles facing their countries and no one bothered to consider the post-war reconstruction of Afghanistan. Afghanistan had been ravaged by the war and her people were bitter. However, the Afghan rebels led by the Taliban did not launch revenge attacks on the Soviet Union as was expected. They turned their anger to friends who had deserted them when they needed them the most: the US (OSA, 2010). Without a rule of law and no organized government, friend-turned-foe Osama Bin Laden turned his wrath to the American establishments while referring to religious sentiments that foreigners were using Afghanistan to their wars. Being a predominantly Muslim country it was easier to recruit people to protect their country against another attack from anti-Muslim governments. Topping the list was America not because of Afghanistan but because they had used the country to launch for their benefit. Fearing the Western culture from infiltrating the Afghan society, the Taliban had to oppose any relationship with non-Muslim countries (Meher, 2004).
While the war did not directly benefit the Afghan people it was a war that saw US ideological victory prevail against the Soviets, who were extending their dominance in the Persian region. Due to oil-rich resources a lot of outside forces were seeking to have their influence felt in the region. However, there was no clear way to deal with ‘hangovers’ of war that the people of Afghanistan, many of who were still living in exile, suffered. The warlords were left to fight for dominance in Afghanistan which now descended into total anarchy as different warlords continued to outdo each other. However, this time a lot of arms that were used during the war were coming in handy to help the people to wage the war against each other (Liakhovskii, 2007). In 1992 President Najibullah escaped and found refuge in United Nations grounds in Kabul after the internal war became intensive. Afghan people were now fatigued by a decade of war were yearning for peace. A group of young people and refugees using stockpiles of arms littering rugged Afghanistan came in handy to provide much-needed security. This was the Taliban led by Mullah Omar who promised to give security but used reserved interpretation of Islamic laws. This was necessary both psychologically and religiously to undo the damage already caused by the government of Najibullah who was still hiding in the United Nations compound (Lia, 2006). Taliban’s influence grew immensely and strict adherence to the conservative Islam. With the Najibullah government having been toppled, the people were yearning for something different and something they could identify with. Taliban being Muslims and soldiers provided the mix that appealed to the people. However, the application of the Sharia Law was not in sync with international laws and practices and therefore the governing Talibans always found themselves on the receiving end from the international powers. Back at home, the Taliban were able to convince the people that the same forces that had killed her people and sent most of them to exile were again crouching to impose their government. With a bad history of communist regime led by President Najibullah, it was easy to convince the people that these Western ‘infidels’ (as they called them), were not out for any good of the Afghan people. Those who opposed the regime met severe punishment from the Taliban (Cordesman, 2002). Thieves were executed in what was seen as strict adherence to Islamic law. The regime demanded that women should be fully covered reversing the order by the Najibullah government to liberalize women, they also banned music and television (Hilali, 2005).
The mujahedeen had won the war but the US took the credit for winning the ideological war at the prime of the Cold War with communism. The US abandoned their allies who they had used to wage against a common enemy. The result was a country that had been ravaged by war was left in a desolate state. After Americans left Afghanistan, the Soviet Union continued to support the regime Najubullah until the Soviets disintegrated in the year 1992. With established guerrilla forces and weak government, the resultant was the long protracted guerrilla war against the government forces (Heller, 1980).
During the Soviet invasion, many people went into exile and many more were killed by the Russians who supported the communist regime. There arose a leadership vacuum and the rise of warlords controlling different areas of the Afghanistan nation. There was bitterness from the Mujahedeen that was used to topple the Soviet dominance in the region but were neglected. This bitterness was fanned by US desertion when the country required rebuilding and regaining stability after many years of war (Grau, 2002). But the Americans were nowhere to listen to the rather frustrated people of Afghanistan. Those elites and intellectuals living abroad had a lot of resentment not only against the country that had brought war into their land (Soviet) but also the one that turned their country into a battleground ruined it beyond repair (US). The chaos and disorder that erupted after the post-Soviet invasion in Afghanistan led to the rise of the Taliban; out to fill the vacuum of governance with no stable government being in place. Those Afghans who lived outside the country knew that Afghanistan had been destroyed not because they were benefiting from the war but because of their strategic position in the region. Due to geographical location and proximity to the US enemy: the Soviet Union, it was easier to launch an attack from Afghanistan (Girardet, 1985). After the war, Afghan people were counting losses out of a war that had left their country more divided. The US never bothered to help to rebuild the country that had been ravaged by war, and it was this technology and expertise that now came to haunt the US administration many years after pulling out of the Soviet-Afghan war. Of the Taliban, the rise can therefore be traced back to the remnants of Mujahedeen soldiers.
Islam role Soviet-Afghan War
Supported by refugees from Pakistan and sympathizers from Saudi Arabia, Talibans were able to prove that the attack on Afghanistan was not the only attack on their country but also an attack on the Islamic religion. While the communist government tried to radically change the ways of life of the people of Afghanistan, the Taliban reacted with the opposite force. The Soviets who had invaded Afghanistan for occupation made the Najibullah government act as though it was betraying the people of Afghanistan. It was therefore easy to strike sympathy and get support from the people as long it was against the oppressive Najibullah government (Galeotti, 1995). Taliban being the one who dislodged the communist government from power, they had worn the trust of the people and it was therefore easy to convince them to support Mullah Omar’s government. However, the loyalty of Osama Bin Laden and his army of Al-Qaeda had supported Mullah Omar during the war and later supported the Taliban government after the Americans pulled out leaving a country devastated by war. The bitterness was building against the people who used the Afghan people to fight against themselves. Americans had abandoned the people who they used to win the war against the Soviet Union (USIA, 2010). The Mujahedeen and the Taliban supported by Osama’s Al-Qaeda knew that they had been used and damped and therefore they wanted to retaliate against the non-Muslim. The Talibans were able to convince the people the reason why the Soviets had attacked them and why the Americans used them had everything to do with changing their religious beliefs. The Talibans convinced the people using symbols that God was on their side to fight the invaders; this ostensibly guaranteed them a place in Heaven. Talibans convinced the people that the reason why the Americans had used them and dumped them was that they did not profess the same faith. By stroking the cord religious beliefs it became easy to see all other non-Muslims as being potential enemies who needed to be eliminated at all cost (Urban, 1990).
When Dr. Najibullah took over power, he brought with him changes that were not in sync with Islamic beliefs and practices. Moreover, Najibullah associated with Soviet leader Leonid who lodged war on Afghan people. Imposing the communist regime the Afghan people felt they were losing their identity. The identity of Afghan people is more Islam than any other religion. Since the 7th Century AD when Islam was introduced, the people of Afghanistan have taken it as the culture; a way of life. Therefore preaching something that was not in line with the beliefs and practices of the people was enough to cause resentment among the people. The Afghan people knew that anyone who associated with their enemy was indeed their enemy; hence the opposition against the government of Najibullah. The US government aimed to clip the spread of communist ideology in Asia. Since Afghanistan had been the latest catch of the Soviets, it was necessary to lodge the attack on them. The Afghan people through the Americans were helping them defeat an enemy and therefore the Americans became good friends to the Afghan people (TSI, 2010).
The formation of Mujahedeen had no intention initially to have a religious bearing. But by stoking religious sentiments it was easy to win the hearts of the people of Afghanistan. After winning their trust then it could have been easy to use them to fight the war. The people felt obliged to protect their country. This was born from the influence the leaders had on the people through the use of symbols and the belief that the leaders could communicate with God (SWA, 2010). By so doing there was a good reason for commitment against the people who had occupied their land: the Soviets. When the Soviets withdrew, the same hatred was directed to the Americans who had used their resources to train the Mujahedeen.
Using Islamic Discourse
During the Soviet-Afghan war, political leaders used religious sentiments to legitimize their actions in the name of redeeming the people from invaders. These invaders had caused untold suffering to the Afghan people (Soviet invasion, 2010). To maintain identity and attract bilateral financial support from the Arab countries, the Taliban imposed strict Sharia Law. This meant they were to oppose anything that is western-oriented. From the type of food to the way of life, Afghan people were changed and felt different and only wanted to be identified with the Muslims. Anything that was not Islamic was considered to be unwelcomed (Liakhovskii et al, 2007).
While religious connotations may not have defined the enemies, it was one of the factors used by leaders to quench their thirst for ruling over people. The strategic use of Islamic language and practicing of Islamic religion exclusively brought the Taliban leadership into conflict with all other people especially from the Western countries of Europe and America (Roy, 1990).
The strategic use of Muslim language among the people facilitated the mobilization of the people. Adoption of the Muslim language made political players more attractive to the public and to the donors who were willing to donate money to the people of Afghan to rebuild their country that had been destroyed during the war. Less enthusiastic or strict regimes like Najibullah’s regime attracted the sympathy of trade allies especially the Soviet Union but led to opposition of the people it expected to lead. This made the government Najibullah lose legitimacy after the defeat of the Soviets in 1989 (SIA, 2010).
Religious rhetoric and politics of Afghan
Islam was introduced in Afghan in the seventh century. Before this time many religions were associated with the Afghan people that were a conglomeration of people from different cultures. After the capture of Herat and Ghaznavids, Arab Muslims established Islam as the only religion allowed in Afghanistan (Soviet invasion, 2010). The Afghan geographical position being among many Arab states has helped to increase the strength of Muslim identity.
Leaders used symbols that were claimed to be connected to Prophet Mohamed and therefore enjoyed the legitimacy of ruler-ship. During this era, it was difficult to separate religion from politics and political leadership. For example, Roman Catholic Church was fighting to control the world. Islam was as well not only a religion but also an influential factor in determining the leadership of a country. Religion was both a unifying factor and a divisive factor (Butterworth and Zartman, 1992). Any region that opposed Islam was attacked with brutal force. It is from this strong history that the people believed that the Muslim religion just like any other religion of the time had direct authority from God. Anybody who opposed these doctrines did not deserve to live.
Opposing invading power was interpreted through religious standards. Soviets being colonizers were not enslaving people but professing different faith. This in retrospect meant that the Soviets aimed to convert the Afghan people into other religions, probably Christianity. This was reason enough why the people felt passionate enough to oppose the invasion. When the Soviets imposed a new system of government that was in line with Quran teachings, the people were convinced indeed a plot had been hatched to ruin their country (SIA, 2010). There need for urgent resistance. Afghan people have vehemently resisted attempts by foreign governments to occupy the land. Some of the areas in the South of Afghan have never been occupied by the Soviets or the British (Roy, 1990).
Leaders used Islam and Islamic symbols to mobilize support against annexing parts of Afghanistan into their territories. Being a poor country lacking in urbanization, established concrete networking men of religion and the tribal structure, have contributed immensely in making Afghan a religious country. The revolt that preceded the Soviet invasion was informed of the attempts by the then communist government to convert the locals into Marxists (Reuvenerny et al, 1996). The intended conversion had a lot of economic implications, effects on the Islamic faith, and strain social relations with other Arabic countries. This attempt was met with resistance which later led to Soviet invasion to save the reign of the protégé President Najibullah. After the Soviet invasion, most of the Muslims were either persecuted or fled the country. Those who remained fought the Soviet soldiers as the Mujahedeen (Runion, 2007). Those who fled the country regrouped and formed what came to be called the Taliban. The people who truly, without any hidden agenda, helped Afghan overcome the Soviets were the refugees from Pakistan and Saudi Arabian sympathizers. This is what formed the Taliban and which still roam the vast hilly lands of Afghanistan (Urban, 1990). The common denominator in all these countries was the Islamic faith. It was therefore easy to unite the people using a language that could be identified with liberation. The struggle was both against invaders and advocates of the non-Muslim faith.
After the Russian defeat in 1989, the Talibans dared to impose Sharia Laws that reduced the movement of women, outlawed education, restrictive Islamic dress code, limited entertainment, and severely punished crimes mostly by severing their limbs or stoning them to death. However, the association of Talibans and Osama Bin Laden put them at loggerheads with the West. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Taliban had grown roots controlling the bigger part of Afghanistan (Roy, 1990). The opposition was more based on religious doctrines than political differences. By the mere fact that Najibullah’s government was being supported by the Russians was reason enough why the people should have opposed the regime: a regime that had watered the beliefs of the Islamic religion. There was, therefore, a need to fight to preserve the identity that was under constant threat from what they called infidels (Sayeed, 1995).
Fall of the Taliban
When America’s twin tower of the World Trade Center was attacked in 2001, all fingers were pointed at Osama Bin Laden and his group Al-Qaeda. However, the people of Afghanistan knew the same people who had used and dumped them during the war were back. It was again time to invoke religious sentiments against the Americans (Reuvenerny et al, 1996). It was a technique that worked until the Talibans were deposed as the strikes from the Western Allied forces rained on hilly Afghanistan. The people though still believe the invasion of the US is no different from the one of the Soviet Union in 1979, and Hamid Karzai is no different from President Mohamed Najibullah during the Soviet Union attack (Runion, 2007). Riding on this tide the Talibans are enjoying the protection of the Afghan people in mountainous regions of the country.
Conclusion
As a way of life, Islam and Islamic religion are difficult to separate from politics. Unfortunately, politics sometimes breeds into war opposing the same principles that a religion would want to have a cohesive society devoid of conflicts. However, conflicts are part of life and they make life complete (Fiscus, 2004). While life issues are intertwined, religion and politics are inseparable. In most cultures whoever is the leader of the country must have the approval of the religious leaders. It can though sources of chaos if for example the religious leaders do not desist from retrogressive and hate that characterize a broad spectrum of politics. Some political leaders come from a religious background and therefore clouding furthers the distinction between religion and politics (Roy, 1990).
Afghanistan before, during, and after the Soviet-Afghan war did not behave any different. The dominant religion and Islam were so integrated that no one could tell the distinction. Before Dr. Najibullah came to power, many leaders had been executed while in power, and others overthrown. Most of the tribal factions in Afghanistan were ruled by militants whose origins could be traced to the clergy and religious leaders. There was therefore the connection between the people ruling and the Islamic ideology; political connection between the clergy and the political leaders. As a system of governance, they were therefore in competition with themselves and the outside world (Sayeed, 1995). However, the challenge was how to create a political model that was in competition with their rivals in the Western world. When Najibullah became the president supported by the Soviet Union, he brought the different doctrine of allowing for freedom to women and changing the constitution. This was seen by the tribal leaders as an affront to the religious beliefs that defined the Afghan people (Roy, 1990). The people revolted in opposition to the new system of governance. While Islam is a religion that preaches peace it has been infiltrated by elements that purport to be Muslims but use the religion to cover their evils (Heller, 1980).
While trying to define the ideology, the Afghan people had to separate religion from politics. Sufficing to say that there is no distinction between Sharia law and Islamic ideology. But Islamism is not clericalism; which is different from the religion and its beliefs. The secular practices were now being put in religious circles. Many Islamic countries have mixed the two where there is no distinction between Islamic fundamentalism and true religion (Roy, 1990). However, there was no problem with whichever system of governance, as long as it is employed and able to guarantee rule of law and order for its people. In the case of Afghanistan, Sharia Law had brought harmony and peace for the people (Butterworth and Zartman, 1992). A country that is governed by law must practice personal freedom and limit despotic powers. The Sharia Law that was practiced was aimed at ensuring economic equality. It was the invasion of Soviet troops and imposing of the communism that annoyed the people turning them into violent rebels who could sacrifice their lives to protect their religion and sovereignty (Girardet, 1985).
If the resistance in Afghanistan had not overwhelmed the Soviets to pave way for their pull-out, then it could have become one of the Russian Provinces after the conquest. The resistance played an important role in preventing the occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviets. By incorporating the religion in Madrasas meant that people could learn the tenets of their religion from a very tender age making it difficult for them to change their thinking along the way (Heller, 1980). The Islamists recruited people from schools and other government institutions. These people professed the faith of the Islamic religion. It was difficult to say which of the two was causing problems: whether it was the religion or the Islamic fundamentalists. This was where the resistant elements got intertwined with the religion. However, the central aim is to redeem their country out of the hands of the invaders. It was a time when the end justified the means. Whatever faith the fighters professed what was important was to defeat the invaders. By defeating the invaders the people associated with the group that had brought them victory.
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