?We write this account of the Taliban with probably a unique experience and perspective on them. We have a story which intertwines our lives with theirs long before the twin towers were destroyed and the appalling attacks on America had wreaked their havoc. For much of the Western press, the Taliban were just another fundamentalist regime, renowned for their treatment of women, and their ultra-orthodoxy. They are a group now ingrained upon the visual imagination of the western world.?This book tells the story of one couple?s personal encounter with the Taliban. Growing up in inner city Birmingham, much of Amy Orr-Ewing?s teenage experience was in a multi-cultural British context where the Islamic community was - and still is - in the majority, or at least a significant minority. The reality offorced arranged marriages and traditional expectations of women were early memories.At Oxford University, Amy met Frog through a prayer group that regularly prayed for the needs and concerns of the churches in Central Asia and China.

This shared interest resulted in first a trip to China, and then, in 1996 a trip to Afghanistan. Holy Warriors draws on this first-hand experience, as it takes a fresh look at the face of extreme Islam and offers theological reflection on a popularly known but little understood phenomenon.