Since coming to power in 1996, the Taliban has issued a series of measures seeking to impose their interpretation of Islam on the country.
Prayer
Failure to pray to Mecca five times a day -- a requirement of the Muslim religion -- is punishable by imprisonment.
Women and driving
Drivers are prohibited from giving rides to women. Violators are subject to imprisonment.
Preventing idolatry
Portraits -- paintings and photos -- are said to promote idolatry and must be destroyed under the law.
Women and work
Women are banned from working outside the home except in the health sector. In hospitals, women are separated from their male colleagues.
Women and education
The Taliban forbids the education of women until institutions segregating them from men are established. Informal education of women can be punishable by law. For men, at least a sixth-grade education is required.
Entertainment
Music, except for religious chants, is prohibited in shops, hotels and vehicles, and at weddings and parties. Kite flying is considered "useless" and an obstacle to education. Hobbies like keeping pigeons also are forbidden.
Gambling
Forbidden and punishable by at least a month in prison.
Beards and barbers
Men who trim or shave their beards -- considered a sign of Islamic piety -- are imprisoned until their beard grows out. Taliban religious police have been known to employ "the fist rule." A beard must be long enough to be held in a fist. Barbers are banned from giving "American-style" haircuts.
Public bathing
The Taliban shut public bathhouses for men and women, even though most Afghans lack running water. The Taliban says Islam forbids men and women to publicly display their bodies.
TALIBAN UNWILLING TO CHANGE
Pakistan has told the Taliban that a massive U.S. strike is in the making, Pakistani military sources said Friday. They said that despite the warnings, the Taliban were unwilling to change their stance on bin Laden, whom they have sheltered since 1996.
Instead, the Afghan Foreign Ministry announced that Taliban guerrillas — known as “mujahedeen” — could move against any neighbors who support a U.S. military strike.
Source:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/629304.asp
closer
Mean People Produce
Little Mean People - bumpersticker