Once in power, they applied their Deobandi philosophy—a particularly conservative approach to Sunni Islam—not only to their own community but to Afghanistan as a whole. The various mujahedeen groups that had held power had already started to Islamize Afghan society, but the Taliban took it to a new level. Women were forced to wear the veil and were not allowed to take jobs; men had to grow beards and wear certain types of clothing; television, music, and movies were strictly forbidden; and a force of religious police was set up to enforce these rules. The United States, despite its pious lip service to freedom and democracy, was more than happy to forge a relationship with the Taliban in order to establish a pipeline to oil and natural gas resources in the Caspian Sea. In short, the American government was willing to work with Islamists when it was convenient, even well into the 1990s.

SEED: The pragmatic US-Taliban relationship over energy interests offers a compelling essay angle on how geopolitical convenience shapes foreign policy choices, contrasting rhetoric with practice.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 258