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 saying 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 had an impact on many aspects of life, women and girls have been particularly hard-hit: they are barred from accessing education over the sixth grade, with one of their last routes to further training cut off in late 2024, when midwifery courses were quietly shuttered.
Now even university subjects about women have been targeted: six of the 18 banned 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 on books written by women, telling BBC Afghan that 'all books authored by women are not allowed to be taught'.
Zakia Adeli, the former deputy minister of justice prior to the Taliban's return and one of the authors who has found their books on the banned list, 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 said.
Ziaur Rahman Aryubi, the deputy academic director of the Taliban government's Ministry of Higher Education, stated that the decisions had been made by a panel of 'religious scholars and experts'. The removal of books authored by women is feared to create a substantial void in Afghanistan's higher education system.
