Thesis Book - Seeds of Hope

1.2 History that Led to the Loss of Culture and Identity
The land of Afghanistan has had a long history of foreign conquerors
entering, dominating, and destroying the country’s culture. To understand
the Influences of war on Afghan culture and the citizen’s right to freedom,
one must understand the brief historical timeline of the country’s conflict.
The first major wave of conflict occurred in 1978 when the
Soviets took over Afghanistan to support the communist government
against the anti-communist Muslims which soon led to a civil war
in the country. By 1989, the Soviets withdrew from the country and
the Afghans that were in support of the USSR were forced to leave
the country by the anti-communist group known as the Mujahideen.
The second major conflict occurred in 1994 with the arrival of an
islamic extremist group called the Taliban who took control of the whole
country and changed the country’s laws. The group imposed a rigid interpretation
of Islam and enforced it on the Afghan people. The policies and
laws severely excluded women from public life as the Taliban forced most
women to quit their jobs and restricted their access to education by closing
schools and universities for girls. The Taliban also prohibited the use of
television, radio, movies, and any other form of entertainment during their
rule. If the laws were violated, people would be heavily punished. (Sadr)
After the fall of the Taliban rule in 2001, Afghanistan made progress in
their culture, education, infrastructure, and development of society in the
country, however, history repeated itself after 20 years with the Taliban
takeover in August 2021. Afghans now fear for the future of their home
country as they expect the group to impose their rule like in the mid-1990s.
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