And then there s the rank and file who have joined the movement in the course of the last two years, and largely are from the remnants of groups that were fighting the Soviet army. These people, because of the popularity the Taliban could gain in terms of bringing law and order and freedom of trade and movement, or a secondary group, and as time would pass on, I think we would see divergences between the leadership and the rank and file who would have to adhere far more to the traditional ways of interpretation of Islam and Afghanistan than the strict interpretation that is really bookish interpretation. They do not disagree with women being educated. They quote Koran as saying that education is a must for both men and women. And about working women outside the home, they say that the Koran does not allow.
Man is supposed to provide for a woman, and that s what happened.
Now you say temporary measures on the education of girls and so forth. I personally think they cannot justify that. I think one has to make two points. One is that traditionally Afghan woman participated in the agricultural labor force, and particularly the nomadic society and conveyed the bulk of the work, and second that urban Afghan woman has been an incredible force in education and development of the country, so a justification by returning to the past really does not work. This is a new departure.