The Origin Of Islamic Extremism In Afghanista

The rise of Islamic extremism did not attract much attention until the September 11 attacks,when it became clear that Islamic extremism had grown into a terrifying force and posed a great threat and challenge to human society.The United States,as a direct victim,has made the eradication of Islamic extremism a major national goal.In this context,the United States joined its allies in a massive counter-terrorism campaign,with al-Qaeda and its patron,the Taliban,becoming the primary targets of the U.S.campaign.The U.S.has been operating in Afghanistan for two decades,but the result is not only that it has not eradicated the Islamic extremist forces in Afghanistan,but also that it has fueled the arrogance of Islamic extremism.The reasons for this are not only Afghanistan’s own factors,but also the complex international environment.From the domestic situation of Afghanistan,Afghanistan has been an agricultural country since ancient times,and the special natural geographical conditions determine the upper limit of Afghanistan’s economic development.At the same time,as a Muslim country,Islam has a pivotal position in Afghanistan,which not only shapes the spiritual life of Afghans,but also maintains the social order of Afghanistan.Islam once played a positive role in guiding the development of Afghan society,but since the 20 th century,Islam has become a stumbling block to Afghanistan’s modernization.The failure of modernization and reform not only reflects the struggle between secular forces in Afghanistan,but also provides a glimpse of Islamic extremism.From the perspective of international environment,the war is the direct factor leading to the rise of Islamic extremism in Afghanistan.The war has deprived the Afghan people of their sources of livelihood,and the extremely poor economic conditions have become the breeding ground for Islamic extremism.At the same time,the war brought about a series of chain reactions,including a flood of drugs and tens of thousands of homeless refugees.The drug trade provided financial support for the growth of Islamic extremist groups,while the large number of refugees became a mobilization target for Islamic extremist groups.At the same time,the war has also dealt a devastating blow to education in Afghanistan,and the lack of education has left Afghanistan’s young generation illiterate,which has made them highly susceptible to Islamic extremist forces,thus becoming accomplices to their terrorist activities.Therefore,since the war in Afghanistan launched by the Soviet Union in 1979,Afghanistan has been caught in the quagmire of war,and this has become the fundamental reason why Islamic extremism in Afghanistan is difficult to be eliminated.The successive wars in Afghanistan by the Soviet Union and the United States were essentially a manifestation of the hegemonic behavior of the big powers that ignored the interests of the weak and small countries.They interfered in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and installed a puppet government,which intensified the hatred of Muslims toward the West and provided a market for the development of Islamic fundamentalism.In the process,Afghanistan has developed into a terrorist stronghold where numerous Islamic extremist groups have taken root,working in tandem to create one horrific terrorist incident after another.They have become more radical and brutal,and their activities are no longer confined to Afghanistan,but they are trying to spread the seeds of terrorism all over the world.In view of this,taking Afghanistan,a representative country,as a sample,and analyzing the causes of its Islamic extremism from political,economic,cultural and social perspectives at both domestic and international levels can provide reference for preventing the spread of Islamic extremism and maintaining world peace and development.