Why did people welcome the Taliban?

Answer 1

The question as written is nebulous and difficult to answer because "people" does not give a specific regional grouping, religious grouping, or time period. Note, that not all of the reasons below represent statistical facts, but are based on people's perceptions of what occurs. Typically, when the Taliban has been well-received, it is for the following reasons:

1) Order and Control: Afghanistan is one of the most difficult to control regions in the world with arid deserts, high mountains, many rural areas, and limited infrastructure. This makes it very similar to the American concept of the Wild West, but even more difficult to manage. The Taliban are similar (in a way) to cowboys in that they dispense rough justice wherever they see a problem. As opposed to Western Law, which is seen as slow and ineffective, the "shoot and ask questions later method" actually helps to lower crime.

2) Anti-Western Sentiment: Since the American Invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban have become the poster-boy for the "We hate America" movement the world over. (Note: For most people who see themselves as part of this group, the American Government and Foreign Policy is At Fault, not the American People.) As a result, when the Taliban are able to retake a region or arrive in a region, for many, it is synonymous with liberation from American Imperialism.

3) Indigenous Powers: The Taliban were overthrown by a Coalition of Warlords and Tribal Leaders called the Northern Alliance with American Assistance. Many of these warlords are barely better to the Afghan people than were the Taliban and can only maintain power with a strong American military presence. This makes them look like puppets of the American government as opposed to an independent sovereign power. The Taliban, however, represent an indigenous group of Afghans who ruled the country for nearly 10 years in spite of foreign interference from Iran.

4) Islamic Law: Many Moslems in Afghanistan are deeply conservative and would not wish for a country like the United States where religion and state are separate. Islam, for them, should be a constituent part of the State apparatus and the Taliban made a commitment to that whereas Hamid Karzai and the Northern Alliance Government have not made a religious commitment. (Note: There is are a vast number of Afghans who are not interested in a state as religious as the one put forward by the Taliban, but those who do still make up a large segment of the population.)