A comparative study of extreme Islamic terrorist groups Essay - 1

A comparative study of extreme Islamic terrorist groups - Essay Example People who carry out terrorist activities never formally do not identify themselves as opponents nor are they controlled by any political entity (Roy Long, 2004, pp. 1-4). Terrorism is categorized between ideological, national and religion. The reasons behind the terrorist attacks are political domination, religious fanaticism and divine revelation (Durmaz, 2007, p.209). The trauma of terror created by the terrorist has a huge impact on the United States. United States of America is known as a very powerful country in the world especially with respect to its military base. U.S.A has reacted very strongly against the act of terrorism and has taken all measures to prevent them. The United States faces homeland insecurity, owing to terrorism and its impact on American society. Terrorism was prevalent in the world from many decades but in a very small form. But the perception towards terrorism largely changed after the September 11 incident that occurred in United States in the year 2001. It shocked the entire world especially the people of America started suffering from homeland insecurity. United States took a drastic step in reforming laws and policies. Several government agencies were combined to build the Department of Homeland Security. Millions of dollars were spent for the formation of the U.S Patriot Act which helps in ferreting out prospective criminals and terrorist acts. Current anti terrorism laws which initiated around the world started after the September 11 incident. United States was attacked by the terrorist group called al-Qaeda. This group is mostly famous for its fanaticism and violent approach of terrorism. This group mostly acts on the basis of religious inspiration rather than political philosophy. The countries that have already ex perienced terrorism, mostly accuses individuals for criminal offence than politicized crime. Before 9/11, U.S.A had

Jane Eyre and Social Class Essay Example for Free

Jane Eyre and Social Class Essay Life is made up of routines and patterns. Every human being has their own unique system of how they carry themselves through the day. These systems are how we survive, and they tend to become part of our subconscious. But there are those who get so caught up in their own conformity that daily life becomes much more demanding than it should be. The results of this perpetual routine can cause someone to forget who they are as a person, and what they are meant to do outside of daily life. Due to the foreboding repetition of their own daily lives, the protagonists in both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot neglect their true purpose, which suggests holding back can be destructive to oneself. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon experience each day as it passes without any happenings and with this transition comes their demise. The pair can be described as two interchangeable characters who share the same routine. Even from the beginning of the play, Vladimir and Estragon often argue back and forth. VLADIMIR. It hurts? ESTRAGON. Hurts? He wants to know if it hurts! VLADIMIR. No one ever suffers but you. I don’t count. I’d like to hear what you’d say if you had what I have. ESTRAGON. It hurts? VLADIMIR. It hurts! He wants to know if it hurts! (Beckett 3). Textual repetition between the two is already a sign of something repeating in the lives of our protagonists. Following the basic structure of all stories there is conflict, and with conflict comes the desire to leave. ESTRAGON. Let’s go. VLADIMIR. We can’t. ESTRAGON. Why not? VLADIMIR. We’re waiting for Godot. (Beckett 8). The act of waiting is redefined by the two men who do it day by day. There is no evidence of whom or what Godot is, or what he means to the men. We do not see that there are any physical barriers that are preventing Vladimir and Estragon from getting up and moving on with their lives. All that matters is that everything in the finite lives of these two men depends on the arrival of this mysterious figure. A radical version of Vladimir and Estragon is seen in the characters of Pozzo and Lucky, who have a daily reappearance in the lives of Vladimir and Estragon. Pozzo is the extreme version of Vladimir, since he is the impulsive, more right-brained one. Lucky is the extreme version of Estragon, since he is the left-brained, more intellectual of the two. However, they represent getting through life with someone else just like Estragon and Vladimir. Relating Pozzo and Lucky even more so to Vladimir and Estragon, Pozzo also has a moment of doubt as to whether or not he shall leave this place. â€Å"I don’t seem to be able†¦ (long hesitation)†¦ to depart.† (Beckett 50). The uncertainty of leaving anticipates the same way that Vladimir and Estragon are left waiting at the end of each act. Despite actually admitting that he can’t seem to leave, Pozzo actually does manage to leave, unlike Vladimir and Estragon who remain even as the curtain falls. In Pozzo and Lucky there is an extreme reflection of Vladimir and Estragon, while the messenger represents false hope. He comes only to tell the pair â€Å"Mr. Godot told me to tell you he won’t come this evening but certainly to-morrow.† (Beckett 55). After learning of this, Vladimir and Estragon acknowledge that they both want to leave. The dialogue of â€Å"We’re waiting for Godot† repeats, yet the fact that â€Å"Godot† is not coming tonight is still not strong enough for them to take any direct action. Instead they are left to wait upon their fate from someone or something else to act on. As Hamlet becomes more obsessed with avenging his father, he begins to see more of his own downfall as time passes. Seeing the ghost of his father raises Hamlet’s suspicions of the whole kingdom. Thinking that people will write it off as grief, Hamlet acts strangely, hoping that this will help him catch Cladius as the one who murdered his father. But all this acting and waiting takes up precious time that Hamlet simply does not have, especially as a prince who is not living up to all of his potential. At the same time,  his lover, Ophelia, is forbidden to see him. Ophelia’s father Polonius takes notice of Hamlet’s apparent madness, and tells the king and queen â€Å"Your noble son is mad/ Mad I call it /for, to define true madness, / what is’t but to be nothing else but mad?† (II.ii.92-94). Now it is more about just Hamlet acting mad as a means of trying to catch Cladius, but his madness becomes so realistic that other people in the kingdom take n otice. When Cladius later inquires Hamlet about his state of mind, he replies that he is â€Å"Excellent, i’faith/of the chameleon’s dish/ I eat the air/ promise-crammed† (III.ii.84-86). Since it is not the typical response one would give when one is asked about how they are doing, it only serves to further confirm the fear that Hamlet is going mad. These outrageous acts only push Hamlet further away from his true self. The central point of Hamlet’s waiting and delaying of action is expressed with his â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. A significant amount of time is passing, and Hamlet has thus seen the ghost of his father and knows what he must do. Yet he asks himself about suicide, and weighs the moral outcomes of living and dying. â€Å"Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer/The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,/ Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,/ And, by opposing, end them?† (HAM.III.i.58-61). Even when he considers suicide as a viable option, he questions what happens in the afterlife. If Hamlet therefore chooses to not commit suicide, is he delaying a possibly better life after he dies? He then turns to philosophy as a way to choose between killing Cladius or killing himself. But either path he chooses won’t end or solve his misery. â€Å"And enterprises of great pith and moment/With this regard their currents turn awry,/And lose the name of action.† (HAM. III.i.87-89). With Hamlet, it is evident that despite how miserable he is, he continually ignores any sort of action that can be taken to put an end to this misery. He forgets that he is still the prince and has a significant say it what can be done. The true Hamlet and his purpose are so far gone from his mind that he contemplates things such as suicide. He waits too long for an outside action to push him forward in the right direction, instead of taking the first step himself. In order to deal with the tasks of regular life, humans have been known to  set up routines of how they believe they should go about their day. Each pattern is unique, and they nearly always consist of repetition. These systems become a part of us as we go on. But when routines become more than just something we follow and they become who a person is, life becomes a lot more difficult than it needs to be. In both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot, the protagonists become their routines, and in this they destroy themselves and lose sight of their true purpose. The product of their blindness to the outside contaminates their souls and leaves them trapped in their own destructive ways. Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove, 1954. Print. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square, 1992. Print. The New Folger Library Shakespeare. Due to the foreboding repetition of their own daily lives, the protagonists in both Hamlet and Waiting for Godot neglect their true purpose, which suggests holding back can be destructive to oneself. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon experience each day as it passes without any happenings and with this transition comes their demise. As Hamlet becomes more obsessed with avenging his father, he begins to see more of his own downfall as time passes. The product of their blindness to the outside contaminates their souls and leaves them trapped in their own destructive ways.

The Knowledge Which Are Independent Of Our Culture Philosophy Essay

The Knowledge Which Are Independent Of Our Culture Philosophy Essay It is important to first establish that one cannot analyse beliefs and knowledge together, especially in relation to culture, thus they must be handled differently because they are both separate entities, in how they influence an individuals culture. Culture is the behaviour, and beliefs characteristic of an individual, particular, social ethnic group age group.  [1]   Culture is the society and values upon which one is raised. It is built upon customs, practices, beliefs and ideas that are instilled in an individual by influential parties such as parents from childhood. These are all derived from imagination, knowledge and cultural values which are developed over time depending on customs and beliefs. These then influence an individuals customs. Also, culture is divided into two, individual culture which is the way one Its the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. -Mohammed Ali  [2]   This is basically to say that once something is repeated to an individual over time especially by someone in authority over them, they begin to believe and practice the said affirmation. Belief is something that is perceived to be true by an individual but is not common to all individuals. According to Michael Woolman, belief is a tendency to accept principles one has always accepted regardless of evidence to the contrary.  [3]  Belief can be deemed fallacious because it is relative especially by people who do not share the same beliefs. Belief is also confidence in the truth of what we believe in and it is justified by its working.  [4]  Belief is also associated with action, ergo, one must practice what they believe in. If I try to doubt all my beliefs, one day I will find that there is at least one whose truth I cannot doubt Rene Descartes  [5]   Descartes basically means that you cannot doubt your beliefs for there is a reason you believed in the first place. Over time, beliefs evolve from being just mere beliefs and become part of an individuals belief system which is what people believe in, inspired by their culture. Therefore, we cannot have beliefs which are independent of our culture. Culture does not exist in a social vacuum but it inhabits a complex world where the attitudes and beliefs of those around an individual have a massive impact on every aspect of their lives. This means that culture, be it societal or individual is influenced by other beliefs from other cultures which end up an individual, depending on what the already present belief is and how closely related it is to the other culture. Culture determines behaviour, customs, values, habits and tradition and it meditates on every aspect of our lives and experiences.  [6]   There is a thin line between knowledge and belief in the sense that belief never leads to knowledge, but knowledge leads to belief. It is not possible for one to believe in something they do not know, however, it is possible to know something they do not believe in. For instance, in the late 1800s, the Kikuyu community of Kenya believed in naming people according to what they were good at, akin to the characteristics they exhibited. This is paradigm of a culture believing in something they know. On the other hand, one may possess full knowledge of what a religion other than their own stands for but may not believe in the tenets (the example of Islam).. According to Bastian Sue, Bammi Vivek , Howard Craig, Kitching Julian, Oberg Dennis, Wilkinson David and Salomon Manjula. knowledge is, a sub-category of belief and it is a claim that one accepts regardless of the degree of confidence, emotional intensity and sense of significance one may have. p This is to say that for one to know they must believe. This only applies to the statement Knowledge leads to belief as it may differ in regard to other statements or claims. This is justified because knowledge is information that is factual and based on the truth. Knowledge is the acquaintance of facts, truths and principles as a form of study or investigation also as to have a clear perception as of fact or truth.  [7]  Also, according to Plato, knowledge is justified as true belief. The greater our knowledge increases, the more our ignorance unfolds. John F Kennedy 3 This quote by J F Kennedy implies that as we learn more, our lack of knowledge expresses how ignorant we are. To some extent, knowledge and belief are somewhat alike in the sense that most of the time they are both based on perception and on what one is told rather that what one knows for a fact. After research, I realised that Knowledge does not have a clear definition of what it is but rather related words like teaching are used to express it. According to geek philosopher Aristotle The one exclusive sign of knowledge is the power of teaching. Among the Ways of Knowing (Woks), Knowledge by Authority and Perception are the most applicable when looking at knowledge in relation to culture. Knowledge by authority is when an individual knows something from someone older, knowledgeable and in authority over them so much so to influence them. For instance, parents and teachers. Authoritative knowledge is usually led by wisdom because such knowledge is thought to have been tested over time. However, it is important not to pass over the fact that authorities may also be wrong. Perception is the act  or  faculty  of  apprehending  by  means  ofthe  senses  or  of  the  mind;   cognition, understanding or the immediate  or  intuitive  recognition  or appreciation,  as  of  moral,  psychological,  or aesthetic  qualities:  insight;  intuition; discernment.  [8]  Knowledge by perception follows the empiricism view that all knowledge is derived from what is observed. This is one Way of Knowing under which belief is and this is because with perception, one makes an observation and sometimes, it may influence what the individual believes in. Belief is the confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.  [9]  This implies that more often than not, what is believed cannot be proved. It may also not be the truth it could however be deep trust about something and they tend to buried deep within the subconscious with the result that they trigger automatic reactions and behaviours. We seldom question beliefs because we hold them to be truths which have been repeated over time such that they automatically become truths.  [10]  This then means that people internalise beliefs from the people around us when we are most vulnerable and this is when we are children. This way of thinking can be fallacious in that it is an error in reasoning. In this case, the question of whether or not we can have beliefs or knowledge that are independent of culture. It is the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief -Muhammad Ali  [11]   According to Famous boxer Muhammad Ali, when something is repeated and stressed to an individual then it becomes part of their belief s. The stressing and repetition of the belief not done by the believer but by another party who influences the believer to believe that what has been said is truth, thus making the belief part the believers conscience. The fact that sometimes, beliefs cannot be proved doesnt make them right, neither does it make them wrong because as much as there is no proof n its truth, there is no proof that it is false. For instance the statement I believe today is Wednesday is only true because it has been repeated to us over and over again to the extent that it is now true although it is not a statement that has be proved right or wrong theoretically and scientifically. Therefore, it is impossible to have beliefs which are independent of our culture because culture and belief work hand in hand to make an individuals values, traditions, values and habits therefore they cannot be separated and one cannot have beliefs which are independent of our culture. It is also important to note that the culture in question here is an individuals culture and not anothers culture, because one cannot believe in a culture that they do not practice because belief is backed by action. In conclusion, it is possible to have knowledge which is independent of our culture but it is not possible to have beliefs which are independent of our culture.

We Need Affirmative Action Essay -- essays research papers

PRO-AFFIRMATIVE ACTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is it? Well affirmative action is, in plain text, the consideration of your class, race, gender, color, ethnicity, national origin, and disability when deciding who gets a certain job or admission into a school. If you are amenity applying for a job and there are other people that are applying as well then you will be considered for the job over one of the other people, even if they have more experience. It is not only for jobs, it is also used in any situation that there is a minority or different person, racially or ethnicity, because the particular business or corporation needs to have some minorities working in that business or in that school. They do this because of a government law or because they wish to add some diversity into their corporation or school in order to give some balance to have a more diverse setting. This strategy does not just work for minorities but also for women who apply to jobs where there are none or where the majority of the emp loyees are white male. Since the US has won the war of discrimination against woman, now more and more places want women to work there in order to do a few things. To add women to the workforce, or to hire women, is to not give a business an image of discriminating against woman for not having any female employees (no author, see work cited #1). Affirmative action was created to fight the war on discrimination. There are many examples where people of all different color, race, cultural background, ethnicity, or religion have been hired or offered an education where they were previously declined. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made discrimination illegal and established equal employment opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, cultural background, color or religion. Subsequent executive orders, in particular Executive Order 11246 issued by President Johnson in September 1965, mandated affirmative action goals for all federally funded programs and moved monitoring and enforcement of affirmative action programs out of the White House and into the Labor Department (Kivel, 2). The California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) asked the question: Why should the people of California constitutionally prohibit themselves from ever again taking gender, race, national origin, ethnicity, or color into account in the operation of public employment, educa... ...niversity grew nervous as it watched trends in other states, such as Texas and California, so it sought a way to merge the applicant pools in a way that maintained representation from underrepresented racial groups-African Americans, American Indians, Filipinos, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders. The university’s solution was to admit the top two-thirds of the freshman class solely on the basis of academic numbers. In evaluating the bottom third, the university used a more-extensive review process that combined academic and nonacademic ratings but gave less-explicit emphasis to race (Gorman, 1121). WORK CITED PAGE ________________ 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative Action, UCLA School of Law Affirmative Action Outreach, Education and Organizing Project. UCLA: 1999. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice. Philadelphia, New Society Publishers: 1996 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Affirmative Action, UCLA School of Law Affirmative Action Outreach, Education and Organizing Project. UCLA: 1999. Gorman, Siobhan. After Affirmative Action, Washington, National Journal Group, Inc., 2000

Digital Technologies Essay Temp Essay

‘Will the challenges emerging with digital knowledge contexts, for which digital literacy is being deployed, open new horizons for the human art of thinking and creating knowledge?’ (Belisle 2006, p.55). Reference: Harvard Style Knowledge can be interpreted in different ways where one scholar defines knowledge as a learnt education another interprets knowledge as intelligence. Knowledge is continuing a process commencing at birth. Belisle (2006) states Knowledge is much more than the transmitted or acquired information. It is the awareness and understanding of facts, truths or beliefs resulting from perception, learning and reasoning. A thorough knowledge is gained through education as well as real life experiences. Dependency on digital technology has increasingly changed the lives of individuals. In the modern era, knowledge is also gained from digital technologies such as computer, smartphones, televisions and the Internet. This essay will discuss the possibilities of digital technologies for knowledge and the negative impacts of the technologies by examining increased use of visual aids, access of information and by identifying if a dependency on digital technologies creates health issues and cultural an d social impacts as society replaces traditional technologies with digital. In the modern era, technology helps in creating, storing and managing of information digitally. A survey conducted in 2010 by Records management practices and arrangements reported that time and cost benefits in accessing archival information, the better security of information and improved compliance with legislation and procedures to ensure privacy is maintained (National Archives of Australia 2015). In the past, with the use of print media, people would spend time utilising mail, handbills and posters for immediate and focused distribution of their information. Today digital media gives us social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter that connects people instantly and information is disseminated at low cost being judged and monitored on a ‘click’ basis. Effectively if it is available on the internet, it can be accessed and distributed by  keystroke with no actual physical labour. Obviously this lowers the cost of the information and enables distribu tion to a wider audience. Access to the abundance of information on the internet and speed at which any individual can access any information from any location has meant that the net generation and internet users prefer quick information and spend less time evaluating information. People tend to use data anywhere at anytime due to faster and easier access. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2012) published that 13.3 million people accessed data from home for such tasks as emails, doing research, browsing news and general interests and utilising online banking. They also used the ability of the internet to share material with diverse interest groups. Twitter in particular was viewed as useful for this purpose as it is global, responsive and provides a source of relevant links enabling people to publicise their blogs and to follow those of others using hash-tags (Lupton 2014, p.30). Modern data analysing, using photos and illustrations is a very efficient way in gaining knowledge in abundance. The use of digital technology is enabling the continual development of visual aids. This is magnified greatly using Windows, interfacing technology and other imaging tools, more so than contemporary books and papers. Visual information helps in the decision making process providing a definite interpretation of information. In the past, learning and teaching was primarily text-based reflecting traditional teaching based on cognitive or behavioural science (Sims, O’Leary, Cook & Butland 2002). It is now possible to support visual and multimedia formats on wireless devices at anytime to anyplace (Sims, O’Leary, Cook and Butland 2002). Visual images such as tables, graphs, photographs and maps can be presented in the form of a report. These visual images are used more in our everyday life as a teaching resource in school or a visual reference in a business presentation. Visual images make the written data and oral presentation easier to understand and assist in the decision making process. Good decisions are based on research, digital information and Records management contribute to making decisions based on fact. Timely decisions are facilitated by ready access to information. Understanding past decisions is  assisted by access to the digital data that originally supported the decision (National Archives Australia 2015). In the transition from literature to digital and from text to visual, an individual has to be aware that a dependency on digital technology can create issues. The internet is a bundle of information that allows the expression of ones’ self. This expression on a personal web page is likely to be a more considered controlled impression than one gained from an offline or public encounter. A web page can provide an emotional release enabling artistic ability to be incorporated in its layout. Chatrooms are a form of communication that gives the opportunity to speak to someone in a different country without the cost of long distance phone charges. It is instant and not like the olden times where an individual had to wait for mail to be delivered. Technology makes it easy to communicate when we wish and disengage at will. Educational websites offer phenomenal information covering a wide range of topics that vary from completing assignments to studying ones ancestry. People depend on the web when dealing with emotions. Some simply use the web to replace a paper diary recording their thoughts and responses or seeking to rationalise experiences through the web. Physiological changes have been seen in the more impressionable, such as children, who may overuse technology and exhibit changes that mimic changes scene in high stress states, such as high heart rates, fast paced breathing and hyperacute hearing and vision (Rowan 2010). It has been suggested playing violent video games leads to increased aggression and reduced empathy suggesting these games may desensitise children to violence (Rowan 2010). People have a tendency to retain the information that supports their ideas or viewpoint. Having access to technology that enables access to pages of information creates a situation where people search only for collaborating information and promote misinformation supporting their beliefs irrespective of social impacts. As we search the Internet we need t o be aware of its perils such as identity theft and fraud but the biggest effect is cultural and social effects. Family and friends can find themselves competing with digital technologies for time and attention. Time spent with an ipad, tablet or computer is a  minute lost that could have been spent interacting with the world around them whether it be a friend, family, or peers and react to extra senses such as articulation in voice or body language both which can be lost in the digital world. Face to face contact has become a thing of the past. People maybe not spending as much time as they used to or could be together. Properly used technology helps us advance both as an individual and a civilization but improperly used, it can alienate us from each other and even hinder our physical and psychological development. Emotional distress, alienation and loss of privacy can all be experienced if, for example, intimate images are spread perhaps virally beyond the intended recipient or depiction in texts of individuals who may be targeted by their peers for social and emotional abuse because of the wide distribution of information whether visual or text (Ives 2012, p.46-47). This sort of unsocial interaction could have a widespread effect on children at school and work colleagues, the lasting psychological effects could be carried into future generations. This may lead to suicides, charges and withdrawal from society. The advancement of digital technology has become the centre of our information behaviours with the amount of available information online surpasses anything previously known and many of us have this information at our fingertips. So the challenge is to apply our thinking to this available information, our awareness and understanding of facts, truths and beliefs resulting from perception, learning and reasoning and the result is knowledge. Social media and database archives never before have been more connected to the modern world. Socially a lot of people benefit from the virtual world, and some people are suffering because of it. Digital mainframe and archives are helping to preserve our knowledge for future generations, but in the event of a web crash or system error, it also shows how fragile this digital age is. This basic process of turning information into knowledge has not changed but now is made more difficult by the sheer volume of information or data to access. References Australian Bureau of Statistics 2012, How Australia accesses and uses the Internet, cat no. 1301.0, ABS, viewed on 02 February 2015, Belisle, C 2006, ‘Literacy and the Digital Knowledge Revolution’ in A Martin &D Madigan (eds.), Digital literacies for Learning, Facet, London, pp. 51-67. Ives. EA 2012 iGeneration: The Social Cognitive Effects of Digital Technology on Teenagers, viewed 25 January 2015, Lupton, D 2014, ‘Feeling Better Connected’: Academics’ Use of Social Media. News and Media Research Centre, University of Canberra, p.30. National Archives of Australia 2015, Benefits of digital information and records, viewed 01 February 2015, Rowan, C 2010, ‘Unplug-Don’t Drug: A Critical Look at the Influence of Technology on Child Behaviour With an Alternative Way of Responding Other Than Evaluation and Drugging’, Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 12, no.1, pp. 60-68. Sims. E, O’Leary. R, Cook. J & Butland. G 2002, Visual Literacy: What is it and do we need it to use Learning Technologies effectively, Learning Technology Support Service, University of Bristol, United Kingdom, viewed 05 February 2015,

AFGANISTAN essays

AFGANISTAN essays Beginning on September 27, 1996, an extremist militia group known as the Taliban seized control of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Upon seizing control, the Taliban has instituted a system of gender apartheid, which has placed women into a state of virtual house arrest. Since that time the women and girls of Afghanistan have been stripped of all human rights including their voice, visibility and their mobility. The Campaign to stop Gender Apartheid, led by the Feminist Majority Foundation, has brought together numerous human right and womens organizations around the world to demand an end to the abuses of the women in Afghanistan. In the 1980s when the Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan, the United States gave billions of dollars, through a secret CIA operation, to revolutionary militia forces called the mujahideen (soldiers of God). Unfortunately, in 1989 when the Soviet Union pulled out, groups of the mujahideen entered into a civil war and in 1996 the Taliban emerged as the controlling force. The Taliban is actually made up of young men and boys who were raised in refugee camps and trained in ultraconservative religious schools in Pakistan. The primary support system of the Taliban is from Pakistan, they provide military aid and personnel, Saudi Arabia provides the financial support. In addition, Afghanistan is one of the worlds two largest producers of opium, which in turn makes it a huge drug-processing center. Finally, the biggest potential for financial support comes from the wealth of the petroleum industry. The Taliban claim to follow a pure, fundamental Islamic ideology, except the oppression they place upon women has no foundation in Islam. Within Islam, women can earn, control and spend their own money; they can also participate in public life. Both the Organizations of the Islamic Conference and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt have refused to recognize the Taliban as an official governmen...