Women in Islamism

Reader comment on item: Arabia's Civil War

Submitted by Johanna Markind (United States), May 15, 2003 at 13:10

I’ve read your books, "In the Path of God," and "Militant Islam Reaches America," and various articles you’ve written including the 5/14 item in the WSJE on Saudi Arabia/Wahhabism, but I’m confused. Do you consider the Taliban and/or those responsible for this week’s bombings to be Islamists?

If so, I’m confused about attitudes toward the position of women in the context of radical Islam. I believe in your books you indicated that despite imposing gender segregation/dress codes/regressive legislation, Islamists generally had modern relatively Western attitudes toward women which allowed them to attend university, mosques, etc. This obviously wasn’t true in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and it isn’t true of the Ikhwan ideas you describe.

If not, how would you characterize the Taliban/Ikhwan vis-à-vis Islamist groups?

-Johanna Markind

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Daniel Pipes replies:

Yes, the Taliban are Islamists.

They differ from most other Islamists (such as those described in http://www.danielpipes.org/article/273, which appeared before the Taliban came to power) in not being modern or influenced by the West. That explains why women hold cabinet positions in Iran and in Afghanistan they could barely leave the house.