If Mullah Mohammad Omar, spiritual leader of the Taliban, appears not fully to appreciate why the west is so insistent that he hand over Osama bin Laden, Mr Omar's puritanical philosophy provides some pointers.

Notorious for banning girls' education and dynamiting "blasphemous" ancient Buddhist statues, the Taliban regime has outlawed television, radio, cinema and all other sources of "western decadence and pornography". And if, as most observers believe, Mr Omar personally abides by his own dictates, his only media source for information about how the rest of the world feels about what happened in America last week was the official "Radio Shariah".

In fact, by persuasion and character, Mr Omar, now in his early 40s, is the kind of Muslim more likely to be found wandering his land on foot trying to persuade his fellow Muslims to become more devout.

"His rise to become the leader of a country which claims to be the world's most puritan Islamic state may have been a sheer accident," says a Pakistani official who once met Mr Omar, now believed to be in his early 40s. "He has no world view. Mullah Omar is not known to have travelled outside Afghanistan, with the exception of Pakistan. He...has only met two non-Muslims in his life."

Always dressed in traditional Afghan shalwar (long baggy trousers) and kameez (long shirt), Mr Omar was once quoted by an Afghan leader as saying: "Life can be led with just a few basics. The luxuries don't matter."

The day-to-day running of the country - at least that part under Taliban control - is in the hands of Taliban militants who zealously and often ruthlessly interpret and enforce the dogmatic teachings of their spiritual leader. It is not uncommon for senior officials in government departments to spend time reading the Koran to other officials in his office.

In keeping with the view of strict Muslims, Mr Omar has never allowed himself to be photographed, driven by the belief that carving or drawing images of God's creations is sacrilegious. This also explains his insistence that the destruction of the Buddha statues in central Afghanistan should go ahead, in spite of loud opposition around the world, including from Islamic countries.

"He thought nobody would care if Afghanistan destroyed a few pieces of rock," said a UN official.

Like most Taliban leaders, Mr Omar received no formal schooling. He was trained at a madrassah in the 1980s where he learnt the principles of Islamic shariah, read the Koran and dedicated himself to prayers five times a day.

The Taliban first appeared on the chaotic battlefields of Afghanistan, devastated by five years of civil war that followed Soviet withdrawal in 1989. They were backed by elements in the security forces of Pakistan, which longed for stability in its neighbour.

While there are some accounts of the soldiering exploits of Mr Omar, who lost an eye apparently in battle, these have emerged only since he proclaimed himself Afghanistan's Amirul Momineen (leader of the faithful) in 1996.

Like most Afghans, Mr Omar believes the Americans betrayed Afghanistan and Islam by shamelessly using its young men to fight and die in the cold war with the Soviet Union and then walking away when communism collapsed, a view that is central to the fanatical anti-Americanism of Mr bin Laden.

But there may be more tangible reasons for his loyalty. Mr bin Laden is believed to have donated generously to the Taliban regime which has no other financial backing.

Moreover, Mr Omar's newly built bomb-proof home in Kandahar was made possible with a donation from Mr bin Laden, western officials say. Unconfirmed reports say one of Mr Omar's wives is Mr bin Laden's daughter. If indeed there is no television in Mr Omar's secure home, it is possible his main source of information on the outside world, including America, is Osama bin Laden.