Taliban Ban University Courses and Remove Hundreds of Books

The Taliban has prohibited the teaching of 18 subjects at universities, including “human rights.” In addition, hundreds of books authored by women are being taken out of the curriculum, Orda.kz reports.

According to the BBC, the Taliban has removed 679 books from university programs, claiming they contain content that is “anti-Sharia.” Of these, around 140 titles were written by women.

One such example is “Safety in the Chemical Laboratory.”

The authorities have also banned 18 university subjects because they contradict Sharia.

Among them is “human rights.” Courses that focus on women or could potentially address sexual harassment have also been excluded, including “Gender and Development,” “The Role of Women in Communication,” and “The Sociology of Women.”

Despite these measures, the Taliban government continues to insist that it respects women’s rights, though only within its interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law.

Since regaining power four years ago, the Taliban has imposed sweeping restrictions in Afghanistan, many of which directly target women and girls.

Girls have been barred from education beyond the sixth grade, and one of the last options for vocational study was closed at the end of 2024, when midwifery training courses were shut down.

More recently, the Taliban also banned fiber-optic internet in several provinces. The official reason given was “to combat immorality.”

Original Author: Anastasia Prilepskaya