Taliban Bans 679 University Textbooks Deemed Contrary to Islamic Principles
The Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has prohibited 679 scientific and educational books from use in Afghanistan’s public and private universities, following a review by religious scholars and academics.
According to a letter seen by Afghanistan International, Ziaur Rahman Al-Aryubi, the Deputy Minister of Science, stated on September 24 that a committee of Islamic scholars and professors had examined the books for «belief, intellectual, religious, political, cultural, and scientific content.»
Following this assessment, the ministry circulated a list of the banned titles to universities nationwide, instructing them to replace the materials with alternatives that align with Islamic values and the Taliban’s governing policies. While the group has not yet identified which substitute books should be used, it said a review committee will determine appropriate replacements.
The prohibited materials span a wide range of subjects, including economics, sociology, law, arts, communications, journalism, and literature. Among the titles banned are Principles of Law, Foundations of Organisational Economics, International Sustainable Development, Sociology of Organisations, Sociology of Art and Political Sociology, Foundations of Anthropology, History of Islamic Civilisation, Political Thought in the 20th Century, and Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art.
Since returning to power, the Taliban has established a commission within the Ministry of Culture to oversee censorship and restrict the publication of books it deems incompatible with its interpretation of Islam.
Kursiv also reports that Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi faced pointed questions on women’s rights during a press conference in New Delhi.
