Definitions: Swallows of Kabul

burqa: A loose, usually black or light blue robe that is worn by Muslim women, especially in Afghanistan, and that covers the body from head to toe.
taliban: A fundamentalist Muslim group that controlled much of Afghanistan from 1995 until U.S. military intervention in 2001.
mullah: (in Islamic countries) a title of respect for a person who is learned in, teaches, or expounds the sacred law.
Muezzin: the crier who, from a minaret or other high part of a mosque, at stated hours five times daily, intones aloud the call summoning Muslims to prayer.
Qur'an: The sacred text of Islam, considered by Muslims to contain the revelations of God to Muhammad
Mujahideen: Muslim guerrilla fighters, esp. in Afghanistan and Iran.
qazi: a judge ruling in accordance with the sharia, Islamic religious law. Because Islam makes no distinction between religious and secular domains, qadis traditionally have jurisdiction over all legal matters involving Muslims. The judgment of a qadi must be based on ijma, the prevailing consensus of the ulema, Islamic scholars. Charges of favoritism and corruption against qadis are as ancient in Islam as anti-clericalism is in the West.