The term Talibanization (or Talibanisation) refers to a type of Islamist practice that emerged following the rise of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, where other religious groups or movements come to follow or imitate the strict practices of the Taliban.^[1][2]

Practices

In its original usage, Talibanization referred to groups who followed Taliban's practices such as:

• usually strict regulation and segregation of women, including forbidding of most employment or schooling for women and girls;
• the restriction or banning of Western culture and other activities generally tolerated by other Muslims such as music, sports, general entertainment (films, television, arts, etc.), and the Internet;
• the banning of activities (especially hairstyles and clothing) generally tolerated by other Muslims on the grounds that the activities are "Western", non-Islamic or immoral;
• aggressive prohibition and suppression of public displays of affection (PDA), adultery, extramarital sex, LGBT and pornography, particularly with the use of armed "religious police" and death penalty by rajm or beheading;
• the destruction of non-Muslim artifacts, especially carvings and statues such as Bamyan Buddhas, generally tolerated by other Muslims, on the grounds that these artifacts are idolatrous or Shirk;
• harboring of Al Qaeda or other extremists;
• a discriminatory attitude towards non-Muslims such as sumptuary laws against Afghan Hindus, requiring them to wear yellow badges, a practice reminiscent of Nazi Germany's policies.^[3][4]
• Violent suppression and persecution of modernist, moderate and liberal Muslims, often labeling them as bid'ah (innovation).
• A negative view towards Jews and vigorous opposition to the state of Israel and the entire Western world, under the belief that Israel, the Jews and the West are considered enemies of Islam. This view is also common among other Islamist and Islamic extremist movements outside of Taliban.

Etymology

The term pre-dates the Islamic terrorist attacks of 9/11. It was first used to describe areas or groups outside of Afghanistan which came under the influence of the Taliban, such as the areas of Waziristan in Pakistan,^[5][6][7] or situations analogous to the Taliban-Al-Qaeda relationship, such as the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia and its harboring of Al Qaeda members, or similar harboring of Islamic extremists in Iran,^[8] Nigeria (north),^[9][10] Malaysia,^[11] or Indian-administered Kashmir^[12] and elsewhere around the world. It has been used to describe the influence of Islamist fundamentalist parties in Bangladesh.^[13]

The term was used in a Boston Globe editorial published on November 6, 1999, warning of the emerging threat of the Taliban regime almost two years before the attacks of September 11, 2001.^[14]

Reference to non-Muslims

The term is also used non-literally, and it is also applied to non-Islamic bodies and organizations by those who allege that they practice "repressive policies" which are based on their interpretation of their respective religions. In addition, some members of the American Left may use it to criticize the Republican Party and the Christian right in their allegations that the radical right wing is implementing policies which are based on Christian fundamentalism.^[30]

Sometimes, different analogous neologisms are used by the accusers, such as allegations of "saffronization" which are used to describe or critique right-wing policies which are related to Hindu nationalism^[31] or as a slur used by far left^[32][33] and anti-Hindu groups.^[34][35] Radicalized Muslims often exploit the resonance with this term to attack Hindu nationalists as kafirs (infidels) and "Hindu Talibs".^[36] In India, the term has also been used to denote Sikh Extremism (Khalistan supporters),^[37] and the far-left Naxalite terrorists beheaded Police inspector Francis Induwar in the state of Jharkhand in 2009.^[38] The action has been compared to the tactics of the Taliban, and fears exist that the leftists in these areas are "Talibanizing".^[39][40]

Like any highly politicized term, it may also be used hyperbolically or in an alarmist manner, to make a slippery slope argument, such as in the invocation of the phrase "Talibanization of Bradford" to discuss a gamut of common racial problems and tensions which fall far short of the imposition of sharia law and terrorist attacks. It may also be applied unfairly by those who do not understand Islamic culture and the basis of sharia law, or who fail to distinguish between moderate Islamic and extremist Islamist states, or misapplied to perceived threats which are not true or have yet to be proven.^[41]

See also

• Pashtunization
• Islamic fundamentalism
• Islamism
• Al-Qaedaism
• Islamofascism
• Year Zero (political notion)

References

Further reading

• Moj, Muhammad (2015), The Deoband Madrassah Movement: Countercultural Trends and Tendencies, Anthem Press, ISBN 978-1-78308-389-3