| Publication |
2006.
|
| Summary/Abstract |
The intention of this paper is to consider and evaluate the hypothesis that Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader, was inspired and guided by true night dreams (al-Ruya) to found and lead the Taliban revolution in the 1990s in Afghanistan. The paper contains small excerpts from an interview with Ramimullah Yusufzai, the well-respected British Broadcasting Corporation journalist in Peshawar, Pakistan, which offers first-hand evidence that Omar's charismatic leadership was founded on his commanders' and followers' belief in his divine guidance through night dreams. Such a belief in true dreams, commonplace throughout Islam, is based on the example of the Prophet Mohammed who is reported to have dreamt parts of the Koran. 1 Thus the paper begins by outlining the Islamic metaphysical and epistemological context that facilitates Muslim belief in true dreams.
|