Terrorism is an incredibly difficult word to define. Due to its largely elusive nature, the definition of terrorism is continually evolving and changing over time, as are the forms and methods in which it manifests itself. The dictionary definition of terrorism is “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political objectives. This definition is not at all imprecise and encompasses the intrinsic characteristics of terrorism. I believe, however, that this definition excludes important aspects of terrorism as we know it today, such as the use of fear and terror as a mechanism to achieve one's goals. In addition to that, I think the dictionary definition fails to mention that terrorism often focuses on pursuing radical religious and social reforms, not just political goals. I would define terrorism as: the use of violence and coercion by a unified group in order to instill fear and terror among its victims so that they are forced into submission, enabling the group in question to achieve its radical goals, political, religious and/or social purposes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Today I choose to write about the Taliban, an organization of great notoriety and infamy. An extremist branch of the Mujahedeen, guerrilla fighters who primarily opposed the Soviets during the Soviet-Afghan War, the Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist. The Taliban was founded on October 10, 1995 in Afghanistan. Due to the extreme political and social turmoil the country was experiencing at the time, the Taliban were able to come to power quickly and efficiently. Afghanistan was never able to establish anything other than a puppet government after the Soviets withdrew from the country, further aiding the Taliban in their almost effortless rise to power. Afghanistan was once ruled by a constitutional monarchy, and under this government the country was stable and prosperous. Afghanistan had made great strides towards modernization since its founding in 1926, and economic prosperity within the country allowed many to prosper. In 1973, however, the king of Afghanistan, Zahir Khan, was overthrown in a coup by his cousin Daoud Khan. The coup was carried out in retaliation for the king's new program barring the king's relatives from holding cabinet positions, and former king Zahir Khan, who had been in Italy undergoing surgery at the time of the coup , was exiled there. Afghan citizens assumed that Daoud Khan would appoint himself as the new king of Afghanistan, but instead he appointed himself president of the republic he would found. Daoud ruled until 1978 as a centrist, moderate president, but was overthrown by a left-wing communist militant group. Democracy was destroyed and power was then distributed between two communist parties that ruled the tumultuous country. The new government was extremely unpopular among Afghan citizens, but it established close ties with the Soviet Union, at that time the world's largest communist power. The communist parties, with the support of the USSR, implemented extensive social reforms and violently prevented any attempt at internal opposition. During this reign, 27,000 political prisoners were executed. The Communist government was bitterly resented by the devoutly Muslim and largely anti-Communist population. Despite the government's efforts to suppress any form of retaliation, a group of guerrillas colloquially known as "holy warriors" or "freedom fighters" began to oppose the regimeCommunist. Formally known as The Mujahedeen, this militant group gained US support and funding due to their ardent opposition to the communist regime that had taken control of the country. Largely thanks to American support, the USSR soon recognized the Mujahideen as a potent threat to the communist presence in Afghanistan. Later, in December 1979, Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet 40th Army to support the communists and oppose the Mujahideen. The Afghan communist faction was appointed a Soviet leader to oversee their actions, and the faction quickly grew to over 100,000 soldiers. Soviet forces attempted to suppress the Mujahideen's efforts through bombings, executions, and torture of prisoners, but these methods only angered the population and fueled resistance. In a world torn apart by the Red Scare, the Mujahideen gained the support of many anti-communist world powers in their fight against the communist superpower that was the USSR. Their guerrilla tactics eventually forced the Soviets out of Afghanistan, and the Soviets withdrew after 9 years in Afghanistan. The Mujahedeen, however, never managed to establish a functional government and, 7 years later, in 1996, the Taliban took over. The Taliban acted as the official government of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when the US military, along with Afghan opposition forces ousted them as a government force and the Taliban became an insurgent force within the region. The Taliban formed their ideology as a radical, fundamentalist combination of Islamic law and Pashtun tribal codes. According to this extremist interpretation, the Taliban has outlawed many practices and activities previously considered lawful and routine to Islamic life, such as pork, nearly all forms of consumer technology, women's sports, alcohol, kite flying, television, music, the Internet and art forms such as paintings or photographs. In addition to these parameters, men were also prohibited from shaving their facial hair and forced to wear a head covering, and were subjected to beatings if they did not comply with this requirement. Afghan sports stadiums have become regular sites of public executions and punishments. Girls were prohibited from going to school and women were prohibited from working outside the home. On top of this, women ran the risk of being beaten or killed if they left home without being accompanied by a male relative, or of having their finger cut off if the nail was decorated with nail polish. Due to their combination of Islamic and Pashtun ideologies, many practices of the Quran were violated under Taliban rule, resulting in widespread religious disapproval. The Taliban have been extremely successful in achieving their objectives in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their presence and influence have dominated civilian lifestyles and the national government to an extreme degree. So extreme that they faced great opposition and intervention from Western forces such as the United States military. Following the Taliban attacks on American soil on September 11, 2001, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic relations with the Taliban, which had previously been recognized as the legitimate government in these countries. The Taliban also offered asylum and support to the even more extremist group, al-Qaeda, and their leader Osama bin Laden, who had fought among the Mujahideen and provided financial support to the Taliban. The United Nations Security Council intervened in this relationship in 1999, when it called on the Taliban to hand over Bin Laden for trial and to cease their support for terrorism. The Taliban, however, have not.