The Feasibility of Matching the Taliban's Sharia-Based Order with Davis's Theory of the Sacred Society

The Taliban*, in its two governments (1996–2001 and after August 2021), tried to establish an order based on religious laws and principles. The main question in this regard is whether or not this order is based on any theoretical framework. Apparently, among the various existing theories, the Taliban's Sharia-based order is more akin to Davis's theory of the ‘sacred society’. Hence, by drawing on a theoretical framework the principal elements of which are proposed by Davis, this article seeks to assess the Sharia-based order of the Taliban and its social aftermaths and to compare them with Davis's sacred society. The second question to answer is whether the Taliban's intended order accords with Davis's sacred society. The results show that, in their second term of governance, the Taliban strived to conduct actions deemed ‘abnormal’ by the international community with greater caution and gentleness, but they continue to pursue the same goals and methods as during their first regime. This involves opposing modern norms and values accepted by the international community. Research findings suggest that, while the characteristics described by Davis for his traditional and reactive sacred society largely match those of the society under the Taliban rule in both periods of their governance, there are notable differences in detail.