Taliban Op-Ed

When looking at the overall result of their actions, the Taliban resemble fascists in many ways. They both champion traditional, paternalistic societies in order to increase efficiency in achieving their goals of conquest. They are certainly both aggressive powers that are intent on seizing power and control. Fascists’ goals of mass expansion coupled with their forceful execution prompted a response from other nations, and the Taliban’s threats shock the nation into submission. However, the Taliban cannot be fascists because fascists combine military strength with the intent of creating a superior society while the Taliban assert their dominance indiscriminately, with the sole intention of being in control.

Whereas a fascist nation directs its force outwards to assert their dominance, Taliban is preoccupied with dissent from within. Through radio broadcasts and bombings, the Taliban scares its people into submission. It only takes a moment to realize that the people who the Taliban control are not by any means willing supporters. They obey because they have to, and some even protest by disregarding the word of the Taliban, as in the case of a school continuing to operate after it had been officially closed down. The only reason they consent to living in a society that saps away their freedom is because of the Taliban’s constant threats. Clearly, there is no majority and rather a division of people in power and people who are pressured under that power. It appears as though the Taliban regards their own population as opposition and it is they who receive the majority of the Taliban’s force. Unlike fascists who attempt to unify their own people towards national superiority by promising to pave the way, the Taliban are plagued by their blind need for supremacy even if it comes from power over their own people.

In addition, while both fascists and the Taliban can be seen as traditional and paternalistic, there is a huge difference in terms of motivation and execution. The Taliban’s paternalism stems from its traditional and radical religious beliefs that govern its society. However, a true fascist nation believes that traditionalism and paternal superiority should not stem from doctrine, but rather the goal of creating a superior society, a superior race. Fascists do not discriminate against people within their own society like themselves and instead attempt to weed out those who do not fit their description of the perfect human being. In a sense, the Taliban and fascists move in completely different directions, in that the Taliban move backwards and tenaciously hold on to old ideals while fascists insist on forward motion.

Taliban a Fascist movement

The Taliban are very much so a fascist movement because they fit all of the descriptions of a fascist regime. They are very aggressive with what they do and they do what they must to prove their power. They are both very traditional in their practices that they believe that girls should not be allowed to go to schools, where as fascists are very traditional also in that they have women so they can used for baby-makers. Which brings me to my next point of how both the Taliban and fascists are sexist that the Taliban forbids girls to go to school and fascists have women only as baby makers. The Taliban are also xenophobic in that they try to push out any foreigners that come in because they are traditional in that their people are the only ones allowed there, which is like fascist and how they do not want to infect their system so they tried to just conquer and destroy all.

The Taliban are very Controlling much like fascists how the Taliban will broadcast messages on the radio telling girls to not go to school and that their will be consequences for them if they do go to school. Fascists are the same way in that during World War II the Germans tried to control all of Europe and they were expanding even more as days passed, so fascists are very controlling. The Taliban and fascists are also very elitist in that they think that they are better than everyone else, the Taliban because daily they give threats over the radio to show how they can do whatever they want and no one can stop them and fascists with the example of the World War II Germans they thought all of Europe was inferior to them and that none could stand in their way to stop their conquest.

Taliban and Fascism

The Taliban are widely known for their deep religious standards that lead them to display violent protests throughout the Middle East. Their values and characteristics are in fact quite similar to those of the Fascists from Italy, and this asks whether the Taliban could be seen as a Fascist movement. The most apparent evidence to this argument could be the violence they display. As known, Fascism was a branch of the totalitarianism act, which supported one dominant tyrant over equal followers. When in time, they believed that violence could be justified and sometimes even necessary. Fascism itself supported martial ideals. The Taliban, also present this behavior, which is mainly the reason they are renown. Terror, war, and even mass suicidal shoot-outs between the government and anyone who dares to question their acts. The Taliban believe that force could influence society, and if it is essential in getting their way, they are willing. Under one ruler, they are all equal and insignificant, as sacrifices are made required.

Another similarity between the two is the blind desire for the extermination of their hated subject and the extreme self-esteem. Although Fascism differed from Nazism, most of the Fascists believed in racism, and the extinction of those that were not needed. Sacrifices were made essential when demonstrating their power, and most of these demonstrations were targeted on non-Fascist or liberal organs that dared too disagree. As much as they believed that they were at the peak of the world, Fascists believed that the lesser and much insignificant classes must be terminated. For the Taliban, it is much more clear where their hatred is directed, the Westernization of their country. Since the Taliban is a very conventional group, they follow strict religious morals that tend to disagree with other foreign principles. The issue that they are most concerned with is the education of women. Most of the Taliban’s attacks are directed towards girl’s schools and the teachers that take part in that taboo. Like the Fascists, they will continue to assault their reviled subject and will never cease until they achieve it.

Fascism and the Taliban

Despite the similarities striking similarities, I would not consider the Taliban a fascist regime. A fascist regime needs to be an official government, not just an organized group of terrorists. Some of the values are that they are based on are the same, but the overarching ideas of them are very different. As a government system, a fascist regime focuses on the wellbeing of its people. The people may have no power, but the leaders are still focused on what they believe is best for the majority of the population. These leaders are often very misguided, but the main goal of fascism, and any government system in fact, is to preserve it’s own people and let them live in an ever more prosperous world.

However, the Taliban are not like this. Their goals are based more around squashing their opposition and wiping out everyone who disagrees with them. Both systems are trying to destroy people who are different from them, but fascists destroy the minorities that are different, whereas the Taliban themselves are the minority and try to destroy everyone else. This connects to another main difference between them, fascism is very paternal and that Taliban is not. The Taliban try establishing supremacy above everyone else, but the leaders of a fascist regime take their power and use for what they believe is good.

There are some huge similarities that would make them seem the same. They are both very violent political movements. And they’re not just violent, but their main ideas center around violence, which is an important distinction to make. Some countries are violent simply because they are threatened by other countries so often, but both of these political groups are centered on violence. Most of their ideology would be taken away if you made them peaceful. Despite their similar focus on violence, they have very different types of violence, as well as different reasons for it. A fascist regime would use violence to prove their greatness and their strength, but the Taliban use violence simply as a political tool to assert their power and eliminate the opposition. This is a subtle, but very important divide. If everybody agreed with the Taliban and wanted to live by their rules, they would not fight. However, if everyone agreed with fascism, there would still be wars because of it’s foundation. For the Taliban there is an ideal situation where they can exist in peace with the rest of the world. Their perfect world is peaceful and has only people like themselves. This is obviously unattainable, but still important. On the other hand, the fascist ideal is to be at war and to prove their greatness over other countries. They believe that war brings out the best in a nation, so their ideal state is to be at war.

Taliban Fascistas

James Huber

Mama Pugs

Modern World History

February 28 and March 1, 2010

Are the Taliban Fascistas?

Recently we have studied the Taliban and fascist movements in Italy and Germany. Coincidence? I think not. Mama Pugs is not so subtly trying to show how the Taliban represent a modern day fascist movement. That of course means that I will try to disprove her argument. But I will grudgingly admit that after coming up with a template for the causes and actions of a fascist government I spot many similarities with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

down-trodden country

economic problems

labeling the scapegoat

we'll fix all your problems, just give us political power!

quick suppression of anything not similar

tapping into public's feelings

tradition

not necessarily not progressive?

So yes, I'll say that the Taliban are a fascist movement. But because I like my old argument and I don't want to completely ditch it, here is my first Taliban - fascist argument.

The Taliban have been receiving more attention in the United States recently because of the US’s push to secure strategic points in Marja in the southern province of Helmand. This offensive naturally raises questions about the Taliban and what they stand for. What do they want? Who in history are they similar to? Are they, gasp, a fascist movement? No, they are not. The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot be seen as fascist movements because of their confined national goals and lack of elitism.

1. The Taliban Don’t Want to Take Over the World

I’ll admit that I don’t know much about fascism, but when I think fascist I immediately think about the Nazis and Italians under Mussolini during World War II. They’re the only fascist movement I know and they exemplify the expansionist ideals of fascism. Germany took over basically all of Europe and was poised to invade Great Britain.

The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan are not like that. They are trying to disrupt the Afghan government and the goals of US forces. They are essentially a nuisance, a very powerful terrorist group, but just a nuisance. Maybe back in their heyday the Taliban had greater plans of spreading their rule forcibly onto other Muslim states, but after being ousted from power the Taliban have more realistic goals. They just want to get in the way and not allow the Afghan government to function. They want to regain their past power, but don’t have any grand goals of domination in the Muslim world because they realize those goals are farfetched.

1. The Taliban are Scruffy

The Taliban may have elitist ideals like they derogatory views on women, but these ideals are undermined by their less than elite appearances.

The class said that elitism is an aspect of fascism, but would we really consider a loosely organized terrorist group that hides out in mountains to be elitist? The Taliban scuttle back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan and fight sporadically, instead picking the right moment for a cowardly suicide bombing. This doesn’t seem similar to the proud Nazi Germany of WWII that had wealth, clean pressed uniforms and brought the fight to other countries.

And now here is why the Taliban are fascist.

Going solely off of my knowledge from The Kiterunner, the Soviets briefly held control in Afghanistan before the Taliban booted them out and took over. This is a classic case of a previously proud country, perhaps having just lost a war or was invaded and disgraced by a foreign country. The Nazis took advantage of a hurting country and got rid of the democratic Weimar Republic just like the Taliban got rid of the Soviets and were seen as heroes.

Maybe Afghanistan was doing all right economically when the Soviets were in power, but most likely they weren't. I mean, Afghanistan isn't exactly an economic powerhouse unless you count the opium they produce. So most likely the Taliban made some promises that they would improve the country's economy.

The Taliban were also able to take advantage of how Islamic their country was. Afghanistan is essentially a Muslim state and Islam doesn't exactly sing the praises of women. The Taliban took advantage of this by enforcing traditional Islam just like the Nazis did by going back to the more rural days of the past in Germany.

fTaAsLcIiBsAmN?

While fascism and the Taliban may have many similarities, they are very separate form each other. The methods employed under a Fascist rule and the methods employed by members of the Taliban differ far too much for one to say that the Taliban is a fascist group. While they both are violent, traditional, and xenophobic, saying they are the same would be like saying a banana slug and a redwood tree are identical because they are alive, move slowly, and thrive in northern California.
Both fascist countries and the Taliban are very traditional, but in different ways. While both are sexist, encouraging/forcing women to be docile housewives, the traditionalisms of Islam and Europeans cultures are different, and serve different purposes for the Taliban and fascism. In fascism, traditionalism serves as a way to take you back to “the glory days.” Most things seem better in hindsight, and many people are happy to take the well-worn cultural path of their ancestors, especially if their leaders tell them it will bring them glory and joy. The traditionalism of the Taliban is, obviously, far more religiously based, having roots in Islam. While fascist leaders encourage traditionalism to gain overall support and willing submission from their subjects, the Taliban is traditional because they believe that Islamic tradition is morally, perfectly, and unarguably right. While the control they gain from the forced submission may aid their cause, the Taliban ultimately enforces Islamic values not only because they wish to control others, but also because they believe they are doing what is absolutely best for everyone.
The violence of the two is more similar, yet still different. Fascist regimes have the organized military strategy that the Taliban appears to lack. However, both have some unorganized violence. In Nazi Germany, Jews were terrorized and attacked much in the way the Taliban attacks and publicly beats their opposers. Both fascism and the Taliban use xenophobia to rationalize violence, but while the Taliban uses violence to wipe out those who oppose them, fascist regimes discriminate in order to gain willing support from the majority.
Both fascist regimes and the Taliban serve as ways to satisfy the disgruntled or unhappy. However, the Taliban takes mostly young men unable to get a start in life, while fascism provided a promise of hope to ex-soldiers and unemployed. The Taliban provides an outlet for the dissatisfied, but fascism specifically attempts to use them.

A Fascist Taliban?

Though there is a marked similarity in ideals between past fascist regimes and today’s Taliban, important differences between the two don’t allow the latter to be “officially” defined as fascist. It would seem from its actions that the Taliban desires the status of a fascist regime, but has not achieved this state to this point due to lack of control over followers and citizens. In what ways does the Taliban resemble fascist administrations of the past? The Taliban is violent, conservative, and youthful
Violent. While their methods differ slightly, it is characteristic of fascist governments and the Taliban to use violence in influencing followers. Due to the Taliban’s lack of an actual army, their means of exerting power on reluctant civilians are much more severe and open, employing such tactics as public executions and floggings. In a fascist system, a great deal more energy is spent on appeasing the people, though their threats are fairly transparent as well. For this reason, the violence caused by a fascist government is slightly more discrete so as to hide the true face of the leaders from the followers. There are great similarities though, in severity of punishment. In Moussilini’s Italy, for example, his Black Shirts “destroyed offices of socialist newspapers attacked striking workers, and forced socialists to drink castor oil.” By comparison, the Taliban almost seems gentle in carrying out public floggings and executions. It can be seen, that both groups use terror as a weapon against opposition.
Conservative. One of the more important distinctions of a fascist regime is a deeply ingrained conservatism and paternalism. In the past, this has been shown in aggression towards Marxism, or even as simply as in a more traditional role for womankind, where her only purpose is as a producer of children and caretaker for men. Racism is also hugely popular in that it eliminates minorities and strengthens the majority’s uniformity. This is shared slightly by the Taliban in that it promotes one sect of Islam above all others and preaches Shariah Law. It too opposes the education of women and instates a code of dress for them. In their minds, a woman is “worth” half of a man. In this way, the Taliban is successfully conservative.
Youthful. A seemingly negligible, but hugely significant detail of the Taliban and fascism is their mutual emphasis on the youth. Both of these groups rely heavily on a continuous stream of new followers to support their rampant militarism. They succeed only through brainwashing the younger generation to believe in their ideals and grow into young soldiers and “producers” for future campaigns. In old fascist systems, children were required to have notebooks covered in propaganda and to join youth groups that supported the fascist government. It might be said that the Taliban does something similar with the many Pakistani madrassas , schools where children are taught from the Qur’an. In this way, they share an emphasis on youth as the future of their form of government.
Yet, if the Taliban shares so much with fascism, what holds it back from actually becoming a fascist government? 1) Decentralization 2) No Expansionist Movement 3) Lack of Power
Decentralization. A centralized government is an absolute necessity to a successful fascist regime. Fascism gains much of its power from having a single dictator who makes all the decisions without opposition. This is demonstrated by the fascist symbol of the fasces, which are only strong when held together (thus, centralized). With an autocrat at its head, a fascist government has “strength in unity,” because there is no one to dispute the commands of the leader. None of this is present in the Taliban. Centered around numerous local warlords, such as Maulana Fazlullah in Swat valley, it does not act as a force united, but as many different, self-interested parties. This prevents it from claiming fascism.
Negligible Imperialism. Restricted by the many warlords, it is more difficult for the Taliban to expand, because it already wars for land within itself. It cannot seek to battle other countries for land without first having a homeland of its own. Without unity, the Taliban as a whole cannot be fascist; indeed, the smaller groups within the entire Taliban might be considered more fascist than the Taliban itself is. They are not so wholly lacking in this area though as in others as can be seen by the capture of the Swat valley. Should the Taliban make more catches like this one, it would display a much more fascist front.
Lack of Power. The Taliban fights to become the governing force in Pakistan, but has not yet achieved absolute power. So, while most fascist governments have an official military power, the Taliban is made up of guerrilla fighters. As long as it remains thus, the Taliban will not have the ability to demand anything of the populous and expect independent compliance – they need to supplement their orders with terror. This is not a totalitarian system. The Nazis in Germany, for example, “controlled the press and radio, and in general assumed police power over society.” Meanwhile, the girl’s school headmaster in Swat valley has the defiance to protest closing his doors, demonstrating that the Taliban has not sufficiently reigned in the people. In this state, the Taliban can hardly claim the title of government, let alone a fascist one.
So, while the Taliban seems to be trying to attain the seemingly unreachable state of fascism, it has both successes and failures. Though it has not achieved fascism yet, it is well on its way to getting there.

Is the Taliban Fascist?

What is fascism? Fascism is a government that believes in significant government control, fighting wars to keep the government strong, and that most people, or at least a large group of people are far less elite than themselves. The Taliban can be viewed as a fascist government because they have expanded through violence, try to attain absolute power, and their treatment of women.

The Taliban started out controlling Afghanistan, but around 1997, they spread their ideology to Pakistan. Although they didn’t actually rule as the government in Pakistan, they still implemented their values and brought fear to the Pakistani people. The Taliban spread to Pakistan through violence just like the Italian fascist governments tried to do. They believed that having a strong military was necessary because they thought the best way to expand was violence. In Swat Valley, Pakistan, the Taliban’s 3000 troops were able to hold off 12,000 of Pakistan’s military. Unlike the fascist movements in Italy, the Taliban is not trying to appeal to the youth population or trying to disguise their true motives. They still are attempting to gain power over the current administration in Pakistan.

Both the Taliban and Fascist governments in Europe were traditionalists. They wanted to implement traditional values to bring their people back to the “good old days” when things were pure. The Taliban’s main intention is to purify the Islamic world, and one way they think they are doing so is through their ill treatment of women. Fascists in Europe also had a negative attitude toward women and anyone who supported women’s rights. They thought women were good for nothing except for reproduction. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Taliban made rules that said, women are not allowed to leave their house without a male escort. In Swat Valley, along with many other Pakistani areas, the Taliban banned women from going to school. The Taliban strongly believes in living by Shari’ a law, and because of this, women do not have the same rights as they would in the western world. Women are not allowed to be educated or even have jobs. The fascists had believed much of the population was inferior to themselves, in Pakistan and Afghanistan; women are those who are inferior to everyone else. The Taliban’s religious fascism is greatly harming the progress of these countries.

Although the Taliban aren’t affiliated with fascism, they still implement many fascist values, like expanding through military, trying to get absolute power, and living by tradition.

Fascism Op-ed

Though the Taliban have been terrorizing the Middle East for years, they do not have the organization or maturity that is needed to become a fascist movement. However, the fact that they are not fascist does not make them any less affective striking fear into the hearts of those they terrorize.

The fascists of the past have always had a certain about them, one that the Taliban does not have. They have always been organized. Instead of going into the middle of town and killing someone to get attention, fascist regimes have taken a more calm approach of persuasion by propaganda, instead of using a fear factor to get their way. While fascists relied more on getting the persuading the government that they were the best and using that as means to get control, the Taliban focuses more on intimidating everyone until they are all so scared that they will give the Taliban what they want. And though both means are affective, they are different enough to keep the Taliban from being a fascist movement.

Although the fact the Taliban relies more on guerrilla warfare to get their point across is one keeps them from being fascist, that is not to say that fascism didn't include some element of violence in fascism. In fact, both groups share the aspect of intimidation. However, where the Taliban have big guns and impulse, Fascist movements have order and a large military. Fascist actions were judicious: every single action was thought out; they would not snap in public if one person did something to make them angry. Fascists also moved in large packs that tried to expand into other countries, where as the Taliban focuses more on gaining control of one small area. The need for expansion is a huge fascist value, one that the Taliban need if they have the urge to become fascist.

One thing that both groups do have in common is some sense of nationalism, though the Taliban does not have the nationalism that it takes to make a fascist state. Whereas in Germany where Hitler and his Nazi Party managed to convince everyone that the only way that Germany could succeed was if everyone was pure German, the Taliban only focus on very extreme Islamic ways. Nationalism can only succeed if there is a large enough group of people that can be unified. In Germany, most of the country fell into the category of perfect human that Hitler outlined, making it easier for his ideas to spread and for him to take over. The Taliban’s views are far too narrow to ever be powerful enough to band an entire country together. Plus, unlike the Germans who were centred in one area, the Taliban are much too spread out to ever be able to completely take over.

Despite both groups sharing some important characteristics in common—having traditional values, being elitist and sexist, and being aggressive—the Taliban lack some of the key ideals that Fascist movements have. So though they are affective in gaining some control of the Middle East, they do not have what it takes to become fascist.

Fascism VS. The Taliban

Fascism is a political ideology that exercises a strong dictatorial control. In Fascism, the minorities are looked down upon and the common belief is that the government should be in control of civilian lives. They say that the government should make all the decisions because the general population is not smart enough to make the “right choices”, or the same ones that the government would decide upon. Fascists are bellicose and myopic because they are too wrapped up in their “movements” that they would go to the extent of killing innocent people to keep their ideals alive.

There has been a group of people who fight to gain control of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s people. They fight in violent ways and threaten civilians to obey to their beliefs. They are open to public violence and intimidation is their method of making innocent people follow their demands. The Taliban’s actions are extremely similar to what the Fascists do, which suggests that their actions are part of a fascist movement.

Right now, in Pakistan, the young girls who have a bright future ahead of them are being excluded from the educational world. This is because the Taliban are not allowing any girls to go to school. They are sexist and only believe in men’s rights. Because of their beliefs, they are bombing all of the girl schools and threatening any girl that goes to school will be severely punished, in other words, killed or brutally tortured. Almost all of the girls in Pakistan want an education and even sneak out of their own house to go to school. Their parents are too afraid for their safety and don’t allow them to go to school, but the girls’ determination drives them to face the Taliban’s threats.

The Taliban’s actions are parallel to the way Fascists would act because they both like war and use force to show their power. The ones who dictate the means of how everybody acts are aggressive, near-sighted, and ignorant of other views of the world. The Taliban is a fascist movement and the people being governed by them deserve to live a life of freedom, not captivity.

Op-Ed: Fascism and the Taliban

When one imagines the Taliban, they might see flashing images of shootings, war, underprivileged women, and chaos in the Middle East. The Taliban love power, and are driven by an innate need to control as much territory as possible. They also accept war as a necessary part of life, and are inclined to violence. Because of these characteristics, they are often seen by outsiders as forceful, expansionist xenophobes. But are they fascist?

Fascism is a type of government focused on obtaining absolute power through dictatorship, war, and a united population. And although the Taliban share many characteristics with fascist governments, they are missing some vital parts. For example, one of the main ways fascist governments maintain power is by having a single, centralized government which is also in complete control of the country’s economy. The Taliban, however, are more unorganized and do not successfully control the entire economy of the countries they inhabit. Fascist leaders also tend to show a paternalistic tenderness towards their population. Although they are horrifically violent, and atrocities such as public punishments and executions are common, they still feel a need to take care of the people they control. The Taliban feel no such responsibility. The citizens of a Taliban-controlled state are expected to submit entirely and help the Taliban achieve their goals, not wonder what their leaders can do for their country. Fascism countries work towards the good of the country, the Taliban work towards the good of the Taliban.

One last difference between these two is that the Taliban control other states through intimidation, while fascist rulers bribe countries with images of strength and glory. Fascist subjects are usually there voluntarily, because the offers of the fascist rulers are too good to pass up. The Taliban, on the other hand, expand and conquer through force alone, spreading terror in their wake to ease their accent to power. During the fascist rule of Germany, the average German citizen was quite content with the direction their country seemed to be traveling. The government’s control over the economy and their drive to make the country “better” was a huge morale booster for many. They created more jobs and glorified German culture, both of which were exactly what Germany needed to recover from the humiliating Treaty of Versailles. If the fascist regime hadn’t started persecuting minorities, the government might have successfully helped to return Germany to power.

Although the Taliban share many qualities with fascists, they have too many fundamental differences to truly be called fascist. Perhaps the Taliban are using fascist ideals as inspiration, or maybe they are aspiring to someday create a truly fascist nation. But for the moment, Taliban and Fascists are not interchangeable words.

Fascism And YOU

The Taliban is a group of Sunni Islamic people who locally fight a guerrilla war against the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan. There have been many descriptions for the Taliban such as violent, sexist, a group of people who focus on restoring tradition to their people, and belligerent. Although they fit all of these meanings I wouldn’t go as far to say that they are a new form of fascist people. The Talibans main goal is to restore balance (tradition) in their society and by that they focus on the determination of Western Influence. Their way of doing that is a form of sexist, and intimidating acts. The one thing that keeps me from saying that the Taliban are fascist is their lack of government focus. Fascism focuses on control of people through the government while the Taliban focuses on controlling people through brute force. Their control of government can be called totalitarianism. Political authority has absolute control over individuals in their government or state. The reason the Taliban cannot be categorized as fascist is because their interest does not include a totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime.

Op-ed. The Taliban and Fascism

I'm not going to lie. I'm not too fond of either of the Taliban or fascism. You could say that there are any major political party is in at least one way similar to fascism. Whether in beliefs, numbers, traditions, motives, or other methods, you can usually find some similarities.

Upon closer inspection, we realize that the Taliban is part of a fascist movement. It's similar to committing a murder. The Taliban coincides with fascism in means, motive, and opportunity.

The Taliban have the means to be fascist. They think of themselves as an entire state. The leaders of the Taliban have control, and very little, if any, power is given to the people. This is similar to fascism in the way that the majority does not rule simply because they are the majority, and they are not qualified enough to make important decisions. The fascists looked down upon liberalism, feminism, individualism, and other minorities and aspects of freedom.

One could say that the Taliban has many motives for their actions. However some of these motives are to be in control, and to cause war. They are definitely trying to be in control, but the United States government is trying to stop them by going to war. Fascist nations love being in war, and love causing one.

When looking at the opportunity to be fascist, the Taliban pounce on every chance. They have enough armed forces to take over parts of the world. They are not afraid to use their weapons to publicly punish people. In fascism, rebels were publicly punished, so as to frighten other dissenters. People against fascism were attacked, and some were forced to drink castor oil, a laxative, which humiliated them. The Taliban wish to be in total control both the state and the government. Mussolini focused on building state power.

Even though there are several differences between fascism and the Taliban, the overall goals of the Taliban are in alignment with those of Fascism.

Taliban ≠ Fascist

The Taliban is a nation of violence. There is no doubt about that. In the Taliban, people will kill people just for the sake of being against them. This warfare is not based on any military. The Taliban is not a government, it is just a bunch of people who have radical opinions and act on them with violence. Because of its lack of a military and organization, the Taliban is not a Fascist movement.

Fascism is a strict government in which those who do not follow are persecuted, and often killed. A true fascist nation is totalitarian, meaning the government has total control over the subjects. There never really has been a true fascist nation all the way through, but totalitarianism must be at least attempted at in order to be fascist. The key to fascism is a structured government and military. Without this structure, there is only chaos, and no fascism. This is the case with the Taliban.

Another quality of fascism that the Taliban does not satisfy is the promotion and advertizing of fascism and government. Fascists have a strong sense of nationalism towards their fascist nation. A key aspect of fascism is the propaganda. The Taliban works off of sheer violence and intimidation. People are practically forced to join the Taliban, as their lives are often threatened. While the Taliban gains supporters through force, fascism tends to rely more on intellectual persuasion.

The argument that the Taliban is a fascist movement is based off the fact that the Taliban promotes violence based on sexism, and takes a strong stance on keeping tradition, just like fascism. However, these are just a few qualities of fascism that are not even the main points. In this sense, any violent or racist movement is fascist. This certainly is not the case because unless this violence is happening as an attempt to strengthen the government, it is not fascist. The nature of fascism is to help the government through each act. The Taliban kills innocent people for the sake of killing them, not for the sake of strengthening themselves. This is a crucial fact when considering the type of movement of the Taliban. I do not think that it can be associated with any formal type of government.

Op-ed: Is The Taliban a Fascist Regime?

Outrage and shock can sometimes interfere with our ability to get to the bottom of the reason for merciless killing. Some people see violence as violence, and fail to look any closer. In truth, the reason for any discrimination or massacre could differ greatly, while the results are still this same. This is the case with the Taliban versus a Fascist regime. While the Taliban possesses a few of the same characteristics, they are not a Fascist regime because they do not have an organized military, they discriminate among their own race, and they use fear to get people on their side.

Organized military does not exist with the Taliban. They are guerilla armies that kill and kill and kill. Their main focus is killing, not war. Fascists focus on war, and their army is the most important thing. One of the main points that Benito Mussolini makes when he describes Fascism is that “War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the peoples who have courage to meet it.” (handout) With the Taliban, there are bombs and gunshots and death, but not two sides fighting on a battlefield. How is a member of the Taliban supposed to put on the “stamp of nobility” if there is no war to prove himself with? Because of this, it is clear the Taliban cannot be Fascists.

Along with not having organized warfare, the Taliban has no issue with minorities, but more an issue with the women of their own race. This is not the case with Fascism. Fascism sought to unify their own race and destroy all the racial minorities. The Taliban is tearing apart their own race. They forbid women from going to school and being independent, and they kill anyone who gets in their way, even if all these people are Muslim. They don’t care about destroying their race, while Fascists care only about unifying their race.

Lastly, the Taliban uses fear and public killing to get people on their side, while Fascists use bribes and promises of greatness. These methods could not be more different. This relates back to the fact that the Taliban has no problem killing their own race. If there are people that challenge them, these people die a painful, public death, even if they are Muslim. Because Fascists would never kill their own race, they had to use other methods to get people on their side. Erna Kranz, a German teenager in the 1940s, said that Fascism during Nazi Germany was “A glimmer of hope… not just for the unemployed but more everyone because we all knew we were downtrodden.” (Strayer) Fascists bribe with hope, and the Taliban, quite simply, does not promise anything.

Fascism in the Middle East

Fascism in the Middle East
The Taliban consistently demonstrate qualities of a Fascist group. They are similar in many ways to a Fascist regime. The differences between the Taliban and a Fascist regime are miniscule and insignificant. The similarities in the way that the Taliban conduct their business with that of a Fascist regime are the reason that the Taliban can be classified as Fascist.
The first reason that the Taliban is a fascist group is the way they use religion to unite people. For the Taliban, religion is the focus and following Shariah law is the goal, so in society religion is everywhere. This is similar in other fascist regimes. Benito Mussolini embraced the Catholic Church as a way to incorporate religion into society as well as use it to draw more followers and to create an expected role for men and women, the way that the Taliban and Fascist groups treated woman. In Shariah Law women are not seen as equals and are forced to do things that depict them as unequal to men, in Fascist regimes women were not seen as equals either.
The second reason that the Taliban is a fascist group is because it is very violent. The Taliban employ fear in the same way that a fascist regime does. The Taliban are notorious for public beatings and gruesome executions; Fascist regimes are notorious for much of the same. For example, in Mussolini’s rise to power in Italy, his opponents were forced to drink castor oil. Both used fear to scare people into obedience. Also, both have violent tendencies. A fascist regime wants to expand through conquest and is typically bellicose. The Taliban are equally as violent as they believe that war is justified if it is jihad.
Lastly, the Taliban are a Fascist regime because they seek to control everything. The Taliban’s main objective is to make all Muslims live their life by Shariah Law; Shariah Law is a very strict interpretation of Islam that commands Muslims to live a very modest, simple life. Shariah Law affects all parts of life, the way you dress, the food you eat, the jobs you are allowed to take and so on. Fascist regimes also seek to control all aspects of life. Hitler’s rise to power is a great example of how fascist regimes control all aspects of life. Once Hitler got to power, he took command of every aspect of a German citizens life.
Overall, It is clear that the similarities between the Taliban and Fascist groups are not a coincidence. The Taliban incorporate fascist ideas and strategies into their philosophy and actions, which cements their title as a fascist regime.