The Taliban government has removed books written by women from the university teaching system in Afghanistan as part of a new ban which has also outlawed the teaching of human rights and sexual harassment.
Some 140 books by women - including titles like Safety in the Chemical Laboratory - were among 680 books found to be of concern due to anti-Sharia and Taliban policies.
The universities were further told they were no longer allowed to teach 18 subjects, with a Taliban official stating they were in conflict with the principles of Sharia and the system's policy.
The decree is the latest in a series of restrictions which the Taliban have brought in since returning to power four years ago.
Just this week, fibre-optic internet was banned in at least 10 provinces on the orders of the Taliban's supreme leader, in a move officials said was to prevent immorality.
While the rules have impacted many aspects of life, women and girls have been particularly hard-hit: they are barred from accessing education beyond the sixth grade, with further pathways to education being cut off, including the closure of midwifery courses.
Now even university subjects related to women have been targeted; six of the 18 banned subjects are specifically about women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women's Sociology.
A member of the committee reviewing the books confirmed the ban, declaring that "all books authored by women are not allowed to be taught".
Zakia Adeli, a former deputy minister of justice and author, indicated that with the Taliban's misogynistic policies, it was predictable that women’s perspectives would be erased from the educational framework.
This new set of guidelines shows a significant shift, as many books authored by Iranian writers were also targeted, with officials indicating that the aim was to curb the influence of foreign content.
The extensive list of prohibited books amounts to 679 titles, which excludes critical links to the global academic community, thereby creating a substantial educational void for Afghan universities.
Lecturers are now facing the daunting task of creating their own materials, potentially compromising educational standards and academic rigor. The new restrictions have raised alarms among educators and advocates for women's rights, who see this as yet another hurdle in the push for gender equality in Afghanistan.
