Taleban's edict

May 22, 2001
Web posted at: 6:46 PM EDT (2246 GMT)

Curriculum connections: Social studies -- World cultures, religion and sociology

Objectives
Students will be able to:

• Explain the provisions of the Taleban's edict.
• Analyze when belonging to a group unites and when it divides.

Standards
National Council for the Social Studies
IV Individual, development and identity, grades nine-12
High schoolers need to encounter multiple opportunities to examine contemporary patterns of human behavior, using methods from the behavioral sciences to apply core concepts drawn from psychology, social psychology, sociology and anthropology as they apply to individuals, societies and cultures.

Materials
CNNfyi.com article, "Taleban to mark Afghan Hindus"
Internet access
World map

Suggested time
One class period

Procedures
1. Locate Afghanistan on a world map. Inform students that the Taleban emerged in 1996 as a reformist force -- fierce and devoutly Islamic. Islam means "submission"; that is, submission to the will of God. Islam looks at the individual as a whole and the person is required to submit him or herself completely to Allah, as the Quran instructed the prophet Muhammad.

2. Have students read the CNNfyi.com article, "Taleban to mark Afghan Hindus," and ask the following:

• Who is Mullah Omar? What are some provisions of the Taleban edict? What reasons, according to the article, did the Taleban give for Hindus to identify themselves on their clothing? What are some feelings you might experience if you had to identify your religion on your clothing?
• What are some examples of actions that the Taleban has taken which have resulted in "isolation" from other countries? Why do you think that the U.N. does not acknowledge the Taleban government? Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer. What are some examples given in the article of ways the people in Afghanistan must follow Islamic law? Why do other Islamic countries disagree with the Taleban's actions?

3. Share with students the quote by Journalist Kamal Hyder in which he said most female Hindus in Kandahar already veil themselves "in order to blend in." Why do you think the women would want to blend in? What are the benefits and drawbacks of blending into a group?

4. Anar, an Afghan Hindu in Kabul, told the Associated Press he does not want to wear a label identifying him as Hindu because "It will make us vulnerable and degrade our position in society." How would you respond to this statement?

5. Have each student select a historical time in which peoples' identities were used to separate them from society (or the group as a whole). These may include Christians in ancient Rome, the Spanish Inquisition, the Holocaust or people who carried cards stating they were communists in the 1950s. Invite students to share their findings with the class.

6. Generate a class discussion on the effects on people who have been "labeled" in different historical periods. What are some similarities? What are some differences?

Assessment
Have each student write an essay answering, "When do you think the identification of a group unite people, and when does it divide? How do you think the Taleban's edict will unite or divide Afghanistan?"

Accommodations
Visual/spatial
Students can research symbols in historical times that were created to unite groups. Direct students to make a bulletin board displays and share them with the class.

Challenge
Students can identify symbols that were meant to unite; however, they ended up dividing groups. These may include the Confederate Flag, Malcolm X's X, the Black Panthers symbol or schools' or teams' mascots. Direct students to create bulletin board displays and share their information with the class.

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