The Taliban: 21st Century Fascists?

When I sit in history class learning about fascism and also hear about the tumultuous and violent events caused by the Taliban, I tie the two together instantly and firmly. The Taliban are a modern replication of a fascist organization, only with a different name. They clearly exhibit traits that parallel with those of a fascist institution. Here is why.

Fascist regimes notoriously target something (or a couple things) to blame for the world's problems. They use this scapegoat as a way to motivate people and move them in the direction of unity. For instance, Hitler framed Jews as "parasites" and blamed them for Germany's problems. The Taliban essentially use the same tactic, only with westernization and women. American intervention has proved to be unorthodox and frowned upon according to Taliban culture. Also, the Taliban do not let women participate in occupations that men can, a form of sexist punishment.

This suppression of women and western influence introduces another strong similarity between Taliban and fascism. The Taliban discreetly use secret "police forces" to punish people who do not abide by Taliban rule, a characteristic that matches that of fascism. After viewing the documentary in class about Taliban occupation in Pakistan, I gained understanding on how the Taliban would secretly murder their opposers and then display their bloodied corpses on the side of the street for the common people to watch, learn, obey, and fear.

Military expansion is another fascist trait that the Taliban have shown during their entrance into Pakistan. After seeking involvement in Afghanistan, they expanded to the valleys of Pakistan and provoked more violence in those regions (making it a military expansion). The Taliban's primary goal is to spread their influence - what better way than geographically expanding? Fascist Germany expanded its forces into Poland and France during Hitler's reign to execute their prejudice against Jews and spread the political ideas of their regime. Are not the Taliban doing the exact same thing? They are expanding to spread their ideas in a military fashion, making them a modern example of a fascist organization.