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| What does Haibatullah Akhunzada, the supreme leader of Afghanistan, who is away from the eyes of the world and wrapped in the veil of mystery, think? |
In the two years since taking power, the Taliban government has imposed strict laws and regulations in Afghanistan that are in line with their interpretation of the strict doctrine of Islamic Sharia.
There is only one person behind such orders, which affect the lives of 40 million people in the country and that is the supreme leader of Afghanistan, Hibatullah Akhunzada.
Hibatullah is estimated to be more than 70 years old and is a mystery not only to the world but also to Afghan citizens. If you were to search for their picture on the internet, you would only find two pictures. The most popular of these is a passport-size photograph created in 1990.
Since the complete withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan two years ago, he has rarely been seen in public gatherings.
To this day, no journalist has interviewed him and he has never responded to controversial decisions such as giving women jobs and stopping girls from going to school.
To better understand Hibatullah Akhonzada, who remains out of the public eye, the BBC has reviewed his speeches and issued orders.
Since he became the leader of the Taliban in 2016, 65 orders have been issued so far. Five messages were given to him on Eids in 2018, three of which came after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.
Apart from this, all the speeches made by him since becoming the supreme leader have also been translated. All of these translations have been evaluated using natural language processing software to see how many times they say a particular word.
Islam of Hibat Allah
The most frequently used word by the Taliban leader is 'Islam' which he has used 170 times in these speeches and orders so far.
In the picture above, this word is the most in proportion to its usage, and in it, he is seen repeatedly teaching that Afghanistan should be governed only by Islamic law.
For Hibatullah Akhunzada, there is no difference between God and the state. For them, Islam means an Islamic emirate built under Sharia law. He urges Afghan citizens to live their lives according to Islamic rituals and rules.
His critics say that the strict interpretation of Islam that prevails in Afghanistan is radically different from the 50 other Muslim states of the world.
The United Nations has also accused the Taliban government of promoting 'gender bias' after denying the freedom of women in Afghanistan. Women are also prevented from going to parks, gyms, and beauty parlors by the Taliban.
Looking west
So far in his messages and speeches, he has used the word 'election' only once and that mention was not in a good way. Addressing a gathering of Islamic scholars in Kabul in June 2022, he announced that 'I am not the president, nor an elected representative, nor a corrupt politician.'
Hibatullah Akhunzada still looks down on the Western style of democracy.
Two years ago, before the takeover of Kabul, he used the word 'America' 55 times in his speeches, and his use of the talk was always accompanied by anger.
However, since coming to power, he rarely uses the word America, and when he does, it is because he wants to gain attention from the international community and the United States.
The word 'women' is used only 13 times
The word 'women' has been used 13 times by Haibatullah since 2018.
In the last two years, he has used the word 'women' in the third person, meaning that he usually only refers to women by referring to them (directly to women). They are not addressed.
Despite his orders to curb the freedom of women and girls to study and work, Haibatullah Akhunzada appeared to have little discussion of the needs of this gender, which makes up more than half of the total population.
Holy war
The words 'Jihad' and 'Mujahideen' have been used by him a total of 160 times. For most Muslims, the word Jihad means fighting against sin and striving for good. However, if we examine the terms used by the Supreme Leader, it has been used in the context of fighting against the enemies of Islam and promoting a holy war.
"Mujahideen" means those who are on the path of Jihad.
However, the supreme leader's repeated calls for jihad now seem odd because he appears to be doing so in the presence of Taliban fighters who, despite growing up amid war, are now living in a slightly different Afghanistan. is peaceful
Several young people have recently left Afghanistan for Pakistan to join the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP there. It is also a party that wants the implementation of strict Islamic laws.
On behalf of the Taliban leaders, in public, the fighters' KUThey has been condemned for going to the border, but most of the youth say they are ready to wage jihad.