Mohammed Omar

Mullah Mohammed Omar was the head of state of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. His official title was Commander of the Faithful.

Sourced

• I am ready to sacrifice everything in completing the unfinished agenda of our noble jihad...until there is no bloodshed in Afghanistan and Islam becomes a way of life for our people.
  • http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/review/people_full_story.asp?service_id=10285

• God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels.
  • Mullah Omar - in his own words September 2001

Moderation

• All Taleban are moderate. There are two things: extremism ["ifraat", or doing something to excess] and conservatism ["tafreet", or doing something insufficiently]. So in that sense, we are all moderates - taking the middle path.
  • Interview with Mullah Omar - transcript, BBC News, 15 November 2001

Buddhas of Bamyan

• I did not want to destroy the Bamiyan Buddha. In fact, some foreigners came to me and said they would like to conduct the repair work of the Bamiyan Buddha that had been slightly damaged due to rains. This shocked me. I thought, these callous people have no regard for thousands of living human beings -- the Afghans who are dying of hunger, but they are so concerned about non-living objects like the Buddha. This was extremely deplorable. That is why I ordered its destruction. Had they come for humanitarian work, I would have never ordered the Buddha's destruction.