‘Anti-Sharia’: ‘Misogynist’ Taliban bans women authors from university syllabi

The Taliban government in Afghanistan has banned 680 books, 140 books written by women from the universities, claiming that they are "anti-Sharia" and "anti-Taliban". The ban is also applicable to books on human rights and sexual harassment. It was first reported by the BBC, which cited officials on Friday (September 19). One of the banned books has the title, "Safety in the Chemical Laboratory".

The 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 British outlet reported.

“All books authored by women are not allowed to be taught," a Taliban official told BBC Afghan.

Among the banned books, six 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.

Zakia Adeli, the former deputy minister of justice before the Taliban’s return in August 2021 and author of Political Terminology and International Relations, one of the banned books, told BBC Afghan that she was unsurprised by the move.

“Considering what the Taliban have done over the past four years, it was not far-fetched to expect them to impose changes on the curriculum,” she told the BBC.

“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," she added.