Khogiani faced the ire of her local mullahs when she first decided to run for office.

Back in Fatehabad, Abdul Haq began attending Koranic school under the tutelage of local mullahs, and once reaching the age of eight, began studying at the lycée.

Endured persecution for preaching Sufizm: the local conservative mullahs and the officials of mainstream Islam accused him of disseminating heresy and undermining activity aiming at the authorities in power.

When local mullahs and members of the middle class tried to form a town council, they were pressed to drop their efforts by the brigades, the 30-year-old Dr. Maliki said.

In addition to the very large national Bonyads, "almost every Iranian town has its own bonyad", affiliated with local mullahs.

Once back in Kunduz, however, they were seized by the Taliban, who convened local mullahs from surrounding villages for a religious court.

The first speeches were delivered by local mullahs who urged a just war that would bring freedom to the Pashtun-dominated southern chunk of Afghanistan still held by the Taliban.

Townspeople and officials said demonstrators' anger had been genuine, inspired by outrage and stirred up by local mullahs during Friday Prayer.

The administrators then explained the ban to local mullahs and tribal elders, who passed the news to the farmers.

These marriages were not recognized by local mullahs since Muslim women were not allowed to marry non-Muslim men under Islamic law.