What Is Shariah?

When the Taliban gained control of most of Afghanistan in 1996, they enforced a strict version of Shariah, or Islamic law. Their interpretation of the Islamic system of governance barred women from working and permitted public executions.

Now that the Taliban are once again in control of the country, Afghans fear the return of their brutal rule, which the Taliban says is derived from Shariah. In an exclusive interview Wednesday with Reuters, senior Taliban commander Waheedullah Hashimi explained that Afghanistan will not have a democratic system. "We will not discuss what type of political system should we apply in Afghanistan because it is clear. It is Sharia law and that is it," he told the news agency. Here is a look at the Islamic legal system.