Darul Uloom Deoband and the Taliban

Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic seminary founded in 1866 in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh, India, holds a pivotal place in the ideological framework of the Taliban, the militant group that has ruled Afghanistan during 1996–2001 and since 2021. The Deobandi movement, originating as an anti-colonial Islamic revivalist effort, has significantly influenced the Taliban’s strict interpretation