SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan after a 20-year hiatus and promptly replaced the nation’s legal system with their own austere version of Islamic law or Sharia. While the impact of the new government on women and girls has been well documented outside the country, the Taliban’s interpretation of Sharia is making itself felt across Afghan society as the country is in the grip of possibly its worst ever humanitarian crisis. What is the theological basis of the Taliban’s version of Sharia? What’s the Taliban vision for Afghanistan? And how will it turn that vision into reality? Researchers of Islamic law in South Asia Associate Professor Matthew Nelson and Haroun Rahimi join presenter Ali Moore to examine the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan.