In a fresh blow to women’s rights and academic freedom, the Taliban government has removed dozens of books authored by women from Afghanistan’s university curriculum, while also outlawing courses on human rights and sexual harassment. A total of 140 books written by women were among 680 books flagged as “of concern” for being “anti-Sharia and Taliban policies.” Universities were further instructed to halt teaching 18 subjects deemed “in conflict with the principles of Sharia and the system’s policy,” according to a Taliban official. The move is the latest in a series of restrictions targeting women and education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Earlier this week, fibre-optic internet was banned in at least 10 provinces, a step officials said was aimed at curbing “immorality.” Taliban has banned education for girls beyond the sixth grade. Midwifery courses for professional training were quietly shut down in late 2024. University subjects specifically focused on women have now been targeted. Six of the 18 banned courses relate directly to women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology. The Taliban government maintains that its policies respect women’s rights according to its interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law. Ziaur Rahman Aryubi, deputy academic director at the Ministry of Higher Education, said in a letter to universities that the decisions were made by a panel of “religious scholars and experts.” The ban also appears to extend to Iranian authors and publishers, with 310 of the 679 flagged titles either written by Iranians or published in Iran. A panel member told the BBC that the move was designed to “prevent the infiltration of Iranian content” into Afghan education.
