09 April 2015

By Al-Ikhwah Al-Mujahidun

It appears that Allah (SWT) has destined Afghanistan an abode where contemporary infidel super powers go to begin their natural decomposition. The decline of the English Empire began here, as did that of the Soviet Union and the entire world in seeing that the crumbling of the unified military power of the West headed by America began with its foray into this land. Nearly all the major powers in this western coalition like America, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Spain, Australia and others have pulled out their troops from the battlefronts against the Mujahidin of Islamic Emirate, resorting to the withdrawal approach instead of summoning the courage to admit defeat.

How did the Islamic Emirate manage to challenge this juggernaut of a military coalition throughout these thirteen years? How did it rally its nation and ranks to resist such a towering fighting force made up of nearly six hundred thousand fully armed and equipped foreign and internal soldiers? How did it succeed in confronting international conspiracies and prevent its ranks from flagging and sedition and instead steamrolled them towards strength and solidarity? After the blessing and help of Allah (SWT), there is a committed and deliberate Jihadi management process which has primed this resistance psychologically, militarily, economically, organizationally, politically and logistically at every stage and propelled this lop-sided war in favor of a materialistically feeble and battered force in face of a dominant world power.

The hallmarks of the management of the Jihadi affairs of the Islamic Emirate can be summarized as follows:

1 – Clinging to Sharia and solely deriving from Islam

The true power source of the Taliban movement and management of the Islamic Emirate is derived from Islamic Sharia and conforming to its rules in every aspect of life because the Taliban are not backed by any international military power and neither do they have a solid economic base; the movement and Emirate has not arisen or established itself as a result of long tenured activism nor does is have a nationalistic base or ideology to draw resources from a specific tribe or nation; it is not a member state in any international military coalition to use its clout for protection and to project power and neither is it a highly trained military force equipped with an array of arms that can employ its own manufactured weapons and might for its own survival and success. Rather everyone witnessed its emergence and the stages it went through before its establishment with their own eyes, beginning as a self-conscious religious Afghan movement headed by former ulama (scholars) and commanders indoctrinated with a Jihadi ideology whose soldiers were junior Taliban (students) who joined purely due to their strong religious fervor. It gained maturity ideologically, politically, socially and militarily during the different stages of its twenty year struggle and it confronted and compelled the formidable American-led international military coalition to flee with exceptional insight, patience, courage and force.

The religious prestige of Taliban made the Muslim nation stand behind it, gifted it with a devoted, volunteer and sincere army and this religious standing motivated them towards confrontation both spiritually and psychologically.

Clinging onto Sharia during hardship and ease and building an Islamic government on this foundation while failing to take inspiration from all non-Islamic doctrines as well as rejecting every Sharia opposing state law were distinctive features that made the Taliban an unadulterated Islamic symbol in the eyes of the Muslims worldwide. It became a model for Islamic awakening, free from all influence of the contemporary infidel powers, an Islamic military and political blueprint of activism for all aspiring nations.

Many Islamic movements sprung up during the 20th century throughout the Islamic world however with the passage of time, none of these movements retained their Islamic identities due to misfortunately being intoxicated ideologically, politically, economically and militarily with a dangerous mix of ideas like communism, democracy, nationalism and others. With it they lost the trust of the Muslims and sunk deeper into the abyss, mutating into democrats, western leaning, nationalist and deviant parties.

The source of Taliban power and salvation lies in its firmly clinging onto unadulterated Islam, rejecting all other beliefs and not retracting from their Islamic principles and policies for which it has given tens of thousands of martyrs in return for few political or worldly gains. If they do assumingly take inspiration from other ideologies and political movements then surely their fate will be no different than those parties which associate with Islam yet are in coalitions with secular parties in a democratic framework and part of those governments which have declared open war against the Mujahidin throughout the Islamic world.

2 – Belief in Jihadi solution and refusing reconciliation with the enemy

Another hallmark of the Taliban movement and the Islamic Emirate is that it believes that the only solution to bringing about true change is the Jihadi solution accompanied with education and Dawah (preaching) and for this lofty objective, it has neither been lethargic nor has it offered concessions to the enemy.

The Taliban have learnt from the failed misadventures of the contemporary Islamic movements and parties throughout the Islamic world; until and unless the reign of power is shifted to the hands of righteous people and governments founded on Islam, there can be no positive change. This reality can also be derived from studying the life of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the famous leaders who delivered true change. Many movements and parties during the previous century renounced armed Jihad in favor ideological, Dawah, political, educational and economic reform in hopes of bringing about change. They launched associations, dispatched millions of members, plunged into democracy, created coalitions with secularists, east and west leaning parties, wasted billions of dollars and precious years of their lives but never were they able to change the systems nor reform societies, contrarily they themselves were poisoned by secularism and democracy. They wanted to amend and change tyrannical, despotic, and foreign dictatorships by imploration and admonition which contradicts the logic of tyrants because the only words which they do understand are those of bullets and force.

Although the Taliban ideologically are not the inheritors of the 'Sayed Qutb thought' however practically, they have essentially put into practice his idea that these corrupt ignorant governments can never be reformed through intermixing and activism in their established political framework rather they must be uprooted and their remains thrown away and upon the ruins new governments built on strong Islamic foundations and in the light of Islamic thought because these systems will never accept reform or surrender to Sharia.

The Taliban also chose the natural and prophetic way of Dawah and Jihad to bring about change, rejecting all endeavors of reconciliation with the internal corrupt secular parties and refusing to bow down to the arrogant US-led international crusader coalition. Neither did they compromise on their principles nor did they reconcile with the enemy at the price of their principles and policies. And it was this stance by which Allah Almighty blessed their Jihad and brought down a tyrannical enemy which cast terror into people's hearts through their hands. This political and military understanding of the Taliban proved that the policy of the sons of Madaris (religious seminaries), Minbar (pulpit) and Mehrab (altar) is far more evolved than the understanding of foreign owned secular individuals and parties who consider themselves 'enlightened' but are in fact lost in the dark chasms of western infidel thought, becoming alien to the true aspirations of the Muslim nation.

Adhering onto the prophetic way of Jihad and Dawah and inviting the Muslim youth towards independence and Islamic revival is another hallmark of the Taliban and Islamic Emirate which became an inspirational model for many Jihadi movements. And abiding to this exact rhetoric in other Islamic countries is what practically shook the pillars of power of the tyrant regimes.

3 – Broad system and absence of individual/family control

Another hallmark of the Taliban movement and Islamic Emirate's management is that this current is not tied to a specific race, tribe or region and neither does this process orbit around a few individuals and families with others holding second-class status.

The Taliban movement and Islamic Emirate's management comprise of Pashtuns, Tajik, Balouch, Uzbek, Nuristani, Pashai and other ethnicities and it is this pure natural characteristic that has propelled this wave to all parts of Afghanistan.

The past few decades saw many organized Islamic movements arise throughout the Muslim countries but as time went by, principles and Islamic thought were replaced in favor of power sharing between individuals and families. This lead to a loss of popular base amongst the populace, turning these parties into family and individual franchises. A clear example of these events are our former Jihadi parties and some of the other Islamic parties in our neighboring countries.

However the Taliban used extreme insight in their evolution and never restricted itself to a specific ethnicity or a few particular families rather it left the gates of opportunity open to everyone and swelled its ranks with qualified individuals committed to the cause of Jihad. Therefore it never faced shortage of human resources in any field throughout these 14 years of this dangerously long and drawn out battle against America and Europe and despite losing many Mujahidin and leaders to martyrdom and imprisonment, they were immediately replaced. Never did a feeling of vacuum occur in its folds from Badakhshan to Helmand and from Herat to Nangarhar because everyone feels that they truly belonged in their natural position and no one ever felt that a specific race or family is a pure breed and the rest secondary.

4 – Absence of schism and dissent

Every movement and organization that falls back on individuals instead of ideological bonds and its leadership leaches onto power at the price of the blood of the public, the results manifest themselves in forms of schism and dissent. However it is rarely seen that a movement firmly orbits around a set of beliefs and ideas while its leadership also accompany their people into the arenas of sacrifice.

The rank and file of Taliban remain motivated because its leadership is always at the forefront of battlefields. This is why nearly 80% of the leaders have either lost bodily limbs, or have lost their family members or have suffered in the dungeons of prisons for many years. Naturally when the followers see their leadership in such a state, their trust in them becomes even firmer.

Becoming a leader in the Taliban hierarchy is not a proposition to acquire wealth and wellbeing, rather it is a grim invitation to the cradle of death and dark prisons. When the situation is as such, why would there be any quarrelling over leaderships and positions?

The enemies of Taliban plotted and schemed over the past twenty years to split the ranks of Taliban but none bore fruition. The unity of ranks has resulted in a materially and military weak side consisting of a few thousand Mujahidin overpowering an international coalition with an army of nearly six hundred thousand fully armed foreign soldiers and internal mercenaries.

The Talib ranks will only fracture and fissure when it indulges in tribal, religious and worldly incrimination, and begin leaning more on political favoring instead of Jihadi spirit.

5 – Consideration for Islam in all political and military affairs

Yet another hallmark of the Taliban is their deep consideration for Islam in all its military and political activities, meaning just as their justice, legal, ethical and social works revolve around Islamic criteria so do their military and political activities. And just as they have continued their ongoing fight against the American western coalition as a just religious war from start till finish. The Taliban did not label their fight a political struggle nor did they cover it with the paint of nationalism; if they interacted politically, it was based on religious principles and if they validated their war to their people and others, it was based on religious justifications.

Every reason provided by the Taliban for their Jihadi endeavor in war, fighting spirit, political and ideological literature, interactions with the enemy and everything else have been based upon sound religious principles. It is with the blessing of this strong, practical relationship that they succeeded in winning over thousands of martyrdom loving Mujahidin amongst its nation and gained the prayers as well as material and spiritual assistance of the entire Muslim Ummah (nation).

So long as the foundations of our Jihad against Russia and communism were based on Islam, the Muslims called it an Islamic Jihad and rendered all kinds of assistance but as soon as the Jihadi leaders deviated due to their wrong political maneuvers, decisions and steps, they lost their religious prestige and began relations with anti-Islam circles and government solely in pursuit of their personal agendas. In doing so, not only were they deprived by Allah Almighty from establishing an Islamic government but these same leaders and their parties sided with anti-Islam forces working as mafias, militias, seculars and west leaning groups and shamelessly helped the crusader coalition against the Mujahidin and became tools in the hands of the west.

6 – Assigning commissions during war for all civil and military duties

Another important hallmark of the Taliban and their Jihadi work management is that they did not let the war conditions morph into anarchy and mayhem. Rather the war was kept orderly and local fighting conditions were kept under tight control.

The Taliban did not allow anyone amongst the populace to form unauthorized groups or raise weapons taking advantage of the turmoil but disciplined all civil and military conditions under a the framework of methodical management while spreading the struggle countrywide. They assigned provincial and district governors, judicial authorities, military commanders, group leaders and on top of it, assigned commissions for oversight under the direct command of the leadership. In doing so they not only kept the fight orderly but also kept in check disorder, injustices and unauthorized groups and gunmen from prevailing among the populace.

That is why peace and justice are prevalent in the liberated areas as compared to areas under the control of the American established regime and that is why the ordinary people take all their legal and judicial cases to the Taliban courts.

Even though the Taliban court systems are not exemplary due to the various constraints but they are far superior to the stooge regime courts in every aspect.

The tidal wave that is Taliban is a human manufactured current just like any other Islamic currents. It has its own distinctive advantages as well as faults which we will mentioned in future posts. However it is an accepted fact that the Taliban confronted an international superpower with extraordinary wisdom and courage and in the process drew up a blueprint to follow for all nations combatting tyranny and injustice.