At the least 679 titles blacklisted, together with texts on human rights, girls’s rights and Western political thought.
Afghanistan‘s Taliban-run authorities plans to take away books written by girls from college curricula.
A member of the committee reviewing textbooks confirmed the ban to BBC Afghan on Friday. The blacklisting is a part of an academic decree that additionally prohibits schooling programs “deemed in battle with Islamic Sharia”.
Beneficial Tales
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The committee member informed BBC Afghanistan that “all books authored by girls should not allowed to be taught.”
At the least 679 titles had been banned attributable to their “anti-Sharia and Taliban insurance policies”, he added.
The books affected cowl each discipline of examine, together with texts on constitutional regulation, Islamic political actions and the political system, in addition to human rights, girls’s research and Western political thought.
A last record of banned books might be issued to universities at a later date.
A directive, which was seen by BBC Afghan, was signed by the Taliban’s deputy greater schooling minister, Ziaur Rahman Aryoubi, and the 50-page record of banned books was despatched to Afghan universities on the finish of final month.
Aryoubi mentioned in a letter to the colleges that the selections had been taken by a panel of “non secular students and consultants” and that the banned books ought to be changed with course supplies that “don’t battle with Islam”.
The decree is the newest in a collection of restrictions the Taliban has imposed since returning to energy 4 years in the past.
The Taliban has cracked down on many elements of schooling, from firing lots of of professors on the grounds that they “opposed” the group’s ideology to rising obligatory non secular coursework throughout all colleges.
Ladies have been significantly affected. They’re now not allowed to attend college previous the sixth grade (age 12).
Universities have additionally been ordered to cease educating 18 topics, six of that are particularly about girls, together with gender and growth. One other 201 programs had been beneath assessment.
‘Misogynistic mindset’
Zakia Adeli, the previous deputy minister of justice earlier than the Taliban’s return in August 2021 and writer of Political Terminology and Worldwide Relations, one of many banned books, informed BBC Afghan that she was unsurprised by the transfer.
“Contemplating what the Taliban have finished over the previous 4 years, it was not far-fetched to count on them to impose adjustments on the curriculum,” mentioned Adeli.
“Given the Taliban’s misogynistic mindset and insurance policies, it is just pure that when girls themselves should not allowed to review, their views, concepts and writings are additionally suppressed.”
Sources within the capital Kabul informed the Impartial Persian outlet that the ban on such a lot of textbooks would cripple the nation’s greater schooling system, as universities will now need to dedicate vital assets to discovering and buying replacements.
Alongside the female-authored books, an additional 300 written by Iranian authors or issued by Iranian publishers are being focused.
Sources, together with one on the e-book assessment committee, mentioned this was to “forestall the infiltration of Iranian content material” into the nation’s curriculum.
Lately, the connection between the 2 neighbouring international locations has been strained, significantly over water rights. This pressure has been additional compounded by Iran’s ejection of more than 1.5 million Afghans who had been dwelling within the nation.
