Universities in Afghanistan have been told to remove books written by women from their curriculum. This comes as part of a new ban by the Taliban government, which has also outlawed the teaching of human rights and sexual harassment.
Reports say about 140 books by women – including titles like “Safety in the Chemical Laboratory” – were among 680 books found to be of “concern” due to “anti-Sharia and Taliban policies.”
Afghan universities were further told they were no longer allowed to teach 18 subjects, with a Taliban official saying they were “in conflict with the principles of Sharia and the system’s policy.”
The policy is the latest in a series of restrictions that the Taliban has brought in since returning to power four years ago.
Also, this week, fibre-optic internet was banned in at least 10 provinces on the orders of the Taliban’s supreme leader in a move officials said was to prevent immorality.
While the rules have had an impact on many aspects of life, women and girls have been particularly hard-hit: they are barred from accessing education over the sixth grade, with one of their last routes to further training cut off in late 2024, when midwifery courses were quietly shut.
Now, even university subjects about women have been targeted: six of the 18 banned are specifically about women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology.
The Taliban government has said it respects women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Afghan culture and Islamic law.
