New Delhi, Sept 19: The Taliban government has ordered the removal of hundreds of books from Afghanistan’s university system, including more than 140 written by women, and imposed a ban on 18 academic subjects, citing conflicts with Sharia law and state policy, reports BBC. Among the blacklisted titles are works such as Safety in the Chemical Laboratory.
Officials said the restrictions target materials deemed “anti-Sharia and against Taliban policies.” At least six of the prohibited subjects focus on women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology.
The decree, issued in late August and circulated to universities, was signed by Ziaur Rahman Aryubi, deputy academic director of the Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education, reports BBC. He said the decisions followed recommendations by a panel of “religious scholars and experts.”
The order also bans books by Iranian authors or publishers, with 310 of the 679 proscribed titles falling into this category. A member of the review committee told BBC Afghan the measure aimed to curb the “infiltration of Iranian content” into the curriculum.
The move adds to a growing list of restrictions since the Taliban regained power in 2021. Women and girls have borne the brunt: barred from schooling beyond the sixth grade and, since late 2024, excluded from midwifery training programs. This week, the group also banned fibre-optic internet in at least ten provinces, reportedly to curb “immorality.”
Zakia Adeli, former deputy justice minister and one of the affected authors, said the new ban was predictable. “When women themselves are not allowed to study, their views, ideas and writings are also suppressed,” she remarked.
The Taliban maintain that women’s rights are respected “in accordance with Afghan culture and Islamic law.”
