AN Alcester man who was born and brought up just miles from the Afghan border wants to address people's misconceptions about Afghanistan.

Following the terrorist attacks on America, Shahid Juned, a Muslim and husband of Warwickshire County Councillor Susan Juned, fears people in the West are tarring Afghans with the same brush as their Taleban rulers.

Here, he wants to inform people of the history of the land.

THERE are many things wrong with the Taleban's sinister regime.

A great deal has been written about their repression of women, amputation of hands and feet, public flogging, stoning people to death, drug trafficking, banning music and television.

But one aspect of life under the Taleban, which has not been touched upon, is their total disregard for Afghan history, culture and heritage.

The Taleban themselves are the product of madrassahs (religious schools) where the only knowledge imparted is the teachings of the Koran. Reading the Koran in parrot fashion and learning it by heart is all that matters.

Koran seems to be the panacea for everything. History, geography, science, arts and culture are forbidden subjects in the Taleban's madrassahs.

The non-Taleban young generation of Afghanistan, who are either refugees or have been caught up in civil wars, remain ignorant of their own rich history and culture.

Islam arrived in Afghanistan some 1,300 years ago. Since then it has been ruled by different kings and Amirs.

The first king was Sebuktigin (died 977) whose capital was Ghazni, which lies between Kabul and Kandahar.

The last was Zahir Shah who now lives in exile in Rome. Efforts by the international community are currently afoot to re-install Zahir Shah as the head of an interim, wide-based UN protectorate.

Today's Afghanistan bears no resemblance to the country as it was for hundreds of years - a land of poets, saints and scholars.

Although always a strict Muslim country, there is no historical evidence of any extremism or religious fundamentalism.

For many centuries, the Afghan people happily co-existed with a large population of non-Muslims such as Hindus and Sikhs. These two ethnic minorities have virtually disappeared under the Taleban regime.

It is true Islam forbids the construction and worship of human statues. But neither the early Muslims nor subsequent kings and rulers of Afghanistan considered the Buddha statues at Bamyan (north of Kabul) to be un-Islamic symbols and they were, therefore, preserved.

It was only recently that, in a cruel act of Taleban barbarism, the 1,500-year-old statues were declared un-Islamic and destroyed.

These huge statues, which were carved out of a mountain, were remarkable pieces of art and were a great tourist attraction for Afghanistan.

In the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries, Afghanistan was famous for its large number of historians, mathematicians, astronomers, astrologers, poets and scholars.

One renowned historian was Abu Rehan Al-Biruni, a prolific writer whose universally acclaimed book Kitab-ul-Hind, about India and the Hindu religion, was written after a long stay in that country.

Even more celebrated was Muslim scholar and mystic Abu-Hasan Ali Hujwiri, who travelled widely in the Middle East and Central Asia in search of knowledge. From his books and teachings, it is clear he had a tolerant outlook on life, rejected religious dogma and laid great emphasis on promoting goodwill among humans.

Perhaps the most popular poet in the Pushto language is Khushal Khan Khattack, known as the "Afghan Shakespeare".

His poetry is full of patriotism and nationalism, aimed at uniting different Afghan tribes against foreign Mughal rulers.

Afghanistan is an ancient country with a rich tradition, history and culture. The Taleban have been trying to destroy this heritage in the name of Islam.