The Taliban government has banned the use of books written by women as textbooks in Afghanistan's higher education system. This also aims to prohibit teaching about human rights and gender-based violence. The BBC reported on this.
According to the report, a total of 680 books were found to be contrary to Sharia law and Taliban policy, 140 of which were written by women. Even scientific and methodological manuals, such as "Safety in the Chemistry Laboratory," have been included in this list.
It has also been announced that the teaching of 18 subjects has been banned in universities. Six of the banned subjects are specifically about women: among them are "Gender and Development," "The Role of Women in Communication," and "Women's Sociology."
A member of the committee formed to review the books confirmed that no books written by women would be used as textbooks. Zakia Adeli, a former deputy justice minister and one of the authors of the banned books, said she was not surprised by this decision.
"Considering the actions the Taliban have taken over the last four years, such changes to the curriculum are not surprising. If women themselves are not allowed to study, then their thoughts, views, and writings are also not taken into account," she said.
According to the BBC, the new regulations were announced at the end of August. In a letter sent to universities by Ziaurrahman Arya, the Deputy Director of Academic Affairs at the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education, it was stated that these decisions were approved by a council of religious scholars and experts.
