4. The Taliban retained control over most of Afghanistan for five years
Despite continued resistance from insurgents in Afghanistan, the Taliban consolidated control over the regions it occupied in the mid-to-late 1990s. Control meant control over virtually all aspects of life for the Afghanis under their rule. Alcohol was forbidden. So was pork. Music, television, and films vanished from Afghan life. The keeping of pets of all sorts was forbidden because so much attention to a living being was interpreted as idolatry. For the same reason, photographs and other artwork which depicted living beings, human or animal, were forbidden. Statues were smashed and museums ransacked by the Taliban, destroyed anything which might solicit an admiring or curious gaze from citizens. Children were forbidden to fly kites, a long-time feature of Afghani culture. The Taliban banned the game of chess as well as most sports.
Men were required to keep their hair cut short and their beards long, at least the length of a fist held lengthwise beneath their jaw. Whenever outside of their home a turban had to be worn. Response to the Islamic call to prayer (the Azaan) was required, and those found not in compliance were punished. Punishments were harsh. A person found guilty of theft had their hands cut off, carried out in public. Public executions for other offenses were carried out, with the Taliban police enforcing witnesses to observe the proceedings. Public festivals were for the most part banned, though a few were allowed. Those that were banned the presence of women. The interpretation of Sharia determined that none of these things, and many more, were available in the days of the Prophet. Thus, they should not be available to his true followers.