Many Americans are very insulated from what is happening in the world in which they live. Most don't understand that freedom is a right and not everyone has it. When people think of genocide, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the Holocaust. In Germany, Hitler exterminated 11 million people, which is horrific to say the least, but there are more such events in the world than people realize. Among these horrors occurring in the world, one in particular is unknown to many: the Taliban. The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement originating from Sunni culture that took place in Afghanistan. The Taliban first took control of the city of Kabul in Afghanistan. It then expanded to all of Afghanistan and became a government. The Taliban sets strict rules for everyone and disobeying these rules is punishable by severe punishment, even execution. The word “Taliban” comes from Pashto and means “students”. The rise of the Taliban occurred in the 1990s, when a U.S. invasion destroyed an operation that provided sanctuary to al-Qaeda as well as Osama bin Laden, who took responsibility for the 9/11 terrorist attack. September on American soil. Later, the Taliban reorganized across the border in Pakistan with their new leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar. In Afghanistan, the Taliban, a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political movement, ruled from 1996 to 2001. The Taliban spread terror against opposing cultures/religions, women, and the opposition. The Taliban have brought terror to many groups, one in particular being opposing religions. and cultures. The Taliban, like all dictators, rose to power promising to restore peace and help enforce sharia, Islamic law. The leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar led a government that...... middle of paper ...... er dictator, the way to gain power is to inspire fear, otherwise people would revolt and would put an end to the dictator's reign. If everyone is too afraid to express their beliefs, then no one will and the dictator, or the Taliban, in this case, will exercise total control. The Taliban have exercised this belief to the extreme. Severe punishments were meted out to anyone who disobeyed or opposed the rules. Punishment included. The Taliban had no guidelines or code of conduct; everything is allowed, even sexual assault. As noted in an article about how the Taliban rose to power, "in their efforts to control the country, the Taliban have become as brutal as their predecessors – killing civilians, burning homes and destroying crops in villages and villages." the cities they had conquered” (Poolos, 2001). The Taliban, like all dictators, were forced to exacerbate sanctions to maintain this fear among civilians...