The Taliban government in Afghanistan will no longer allow books written by women to be used in universities – this is part of a new ban that also prohibits teaching about human rights and sexual harassment, writes the BBC.
Among the 680 books that the Taliban have deemed harmful, there are about 140 books written by women, including completely neutral publications, such as Safety in the Chemical Laboratory. Also, the system’s universities are now banned from teaching 18 different courses of study, which, according to Taliban officials, do not comply with the principles of sharia and policies. Since returning to power four years ago, the Taliban have introduced a series of increasingly strict bans.
To further the moral decline, on the orders of a senior Taliban leader, optical fiber internet has been banned in Afghan provinces.
The restrictions and excessive laws have a particularly significant impact on the lives of all residents, but they hit women and girls hard. They are not allowed to continue their education after the sixth grade. The latter will not start their profession until 2024, when the last restrictions on midwifery courses are lifted. Now, courses related to women have also been removed. Of the 18 courses that were closed, six were specifically about women, such as Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology. However,
the Taliban government has stated that it respects women’s rights as interpreted in Afghan culture and Islamic law.
Former Deputy Justice Minister Zakia Adeli, whose book is among the banned, said that she was not surprised by the Taliban’s actions, and that, given everything the Taliban have done in four years, changing the content of the courses was expected. “Given the Taliban’s misogynistic mindset and policies, it is only natural that when women themselves are not allowed to study, their views, ideas and writings are also suppressed,” Adeli said.
The new guidelines, which the BBC’s Afghanistan studio has seen, were issued in late August. The Taliban government’s Higher Education spokesman said in a letter to the university’s Ministry of Education that the decision was made by a council of religious scholars and experts.
As well as books written by women, books by Iranian authors are also banned. This is said to be done to prevent Iranian content from entering Afghan studies courses. Of the total list of banned books, 310 are written by Iranian authors or published in Iran. A university professor, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was a loophole in the ban that would be impossible to verify. The academic says books by Iranian authors and translators are a key link between Afghan universities and international academia, and their removal leaves a significant void.
A professor at Kabul University told the BBC that they may have to produce textbooks, including all the regulations imposed by the Taliban. The question that remains is whether it will be possible to produce books that meet international standards.
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