Human rights violations by the Taliban In the Middle East, particularly in Pakistan and Afghanistan, there is an Islamic extremist group that resorts to terrorist actions to achieve and maintain power . In 1994 this group, called the Taliban, began operating in Afghanistan as a political organization and later invaded Pakistan. They imposed strict Islamic rule on all the inhabitants of the two countries. The Taliban protected Osama bin Laden after the United States accused him of organizing the September 11 terrorist attacks. Even though the Taliban believe they are protecting their religion, in reality they are violating the human rights of the Pakistani and Afghan people. By forcing them to follow Islamic rule, the Taliban violate Article 18 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which gives all people the right to choose their religion. They engage in extremist actions that violate people's right to life, liberty and security of person, declared as a human right in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Taliban originally started because they believed they were doing something right. Their goal was to enforce Islamic law, called Shari'a. They went to extremes, forcing men to grow beards and forbidding women from laughing out loud. The Muslim religion is divided into two sects: Sunni and Shia. The Taliban aims to make all Muslims Sunnis. Unfortunately this means violently punishing anyone who identifies as a Shia Muslim. According to Human Rights Watch's global report, “in 2012, at least 325 members of the Shia Muslim population were killed in targeted attacks across Pakistan. The Taliban believe that it is not only their right but also their responsibility to protect and purify the religion of Islam... middle of paper... of the East. She is valuable because she is a primary source who actually witnessed the events and human rights violations, but her first-hand opinion may be limiting due to bias. Yousafzai, Malala. I am Malala: the girl who championed education and was killed by the Taliban. New York: Little Brown, 2013. This book is an autobiography written by Malala Yousafzai, a girl who was killed by the Taliban in Pakistan for advocating for girls' right to education. Its aim is to spread knowledge and inspire people to advocate for education so that the problem in Pakistan will eventually be solved. She is a primary source and has experienced Taliban violence firsthand, which is an asset. The limitation is that she is a very biased source because she was so immersed in the events that happened, she was a woman and she lived in Pakistan at the time.