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Totalism and the Taliban
Steven Barrie-Anthony
Lifton's variables lend
themselves to understanding the current situation with the Taliban.
It should be noted that in this case, the charismatic leader Bin Laden
provides the doctrine (that is, his own extremist reading of the
Qur'an).
There exists milieu control, the media
is controlled by the state and there is a noted absence of civil
liberties. |
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Mystical manipulation can be seen in Bin Laden's
bastardization of the Qur'an to provide
impetus for the ideology.
There is a lack of privacy in the Taliban-controlled areas much like
the lack of privacy in Nazi
Germany � this cult of confession dictates that you inform on any
faltering in your posture of belief.
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Bin Laden's doctrine is considered the sacred science in that it is
objectively correct, persuasive to any "reasonable person"; America and
the west is considered irrational (to say the least) because we differ
in our interpretation of the world. The demand for purity is clear in
that you are either for Bin Laden's interpretation of God, or against
God. |
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interpretations of the Qur'an are considered blasphemous to
Bin Laden et al, thus there exists doctrine over person.
Perhaps most importantly, the terrorist actions perpetrated by Bin Laden demonstrate a clear
tendency towards the dispensing of existence. Anybody who
disagrees with his ideology deserves the death sentence, and he (and
his followers) can dispense that penalty without feeling any guilt,
because the doctrine says you're obligated to do so.
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