Taliban’s Full-Scale War on Women’s Education: From Closing Schools to Shutting Down Religious Seminaries

Kokcha News Agency: Over the past four years, the Taliban have systematically closed the doors to education for Afghan girls: first secondary schools, then universities, and now even religious seminaries that they once promoted as an “Islamic alternative” to modern education. This trend demonstrates that the Taliban’s aim is not merely to restrict modern education but to completely eliminate any form of knowledge and literacy for women.

According to a report by Al Arabiya Persian, last week, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s leader, ordered the closure of all religious seminaries for girls during a cabinet meeting in Kandahar. His reasoning was that, in addition to Quran and Hadith, subjects like science, math, and language were being taught in these seminaries—knowledge that the Taliban leader deemed “dangerous” for Afghan girls.

This stance not only exposes the Taliban’s deep-seated hostility toward girls’ education but also reveals a deeper fear: the Taliban are terrified of knowledge that could lead to questioning, empowerment, and liberation. Closing the doors to schools and universities was not enough; even limited religious education must be stripped of any element of knowledge to ensure that Afghan women remain nothing more than tools for obedience and reproduction.

Ideology Over Education
The Taliban have not just closed schools; they are seeking to completely transform the nature of education. By rewriting textbooks, removing social and natural sciences, and replacing them with extremist religious interpretations, the Taliban have turned education into a tool for consolidating their ideology. In so-called “jihadi” schools, children are taught suicide slogans and war tactics instead of math and chemistry. These educational centers have become small barracks that produce obedient fighters rather than educated citizens.

For girls, the situation is even worse. In religious seminaries, they are indoctrinated with the belief that “women were created solely for obedience and reproduction.” Such brainwashing destroys the freedom and identity of girls at their core.

The Taliban’s Enduring Hostility Toward Women’s Education
The past four years have clearly shown that the Taliban are not merely opposed to the form or structure of education but to the very existence of women in the realm of knowledge and society. In the Taliban’s worldview, women are not independent beings with inherent rights but tools for reproduction, servitude, and obedience to men.

This hostility is so deep that even accepting all the strict conditions imposed by the Taliban has not opened the doors to education for girls. They agreed to wear full Islamic hijab, attend segregated classes, and study under the direct supervision of Taliban teachers and administrators—yet the doors to schools and universities remain closed.

The Taliban’s Glaring Contradiction
Mullah Hibatullah’s recent decision to close religious seminaries for girls has once again exposed the Taliban’s deep contradictions. Over the past four years, the group has repeatedly claimed that they have no issue with “Islamic and Sharia-compliant” education for girls and that their problem is solely with “Western and secular” education. They even justified the closure of schools and universities by promising to provide an Islamic alternative for girls.

Now, however, the truth is clear: the Taliban could not even tolerate their own self-created alternative. The decision to close religious seminaries for girls shows that the Taliban’s problem is not with the type or content of education but with the very idea of educating women.

A Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness
While this decision is another blow to the right to education for Afghan girls, it also carries a silver lining: girls will no longer be at risk of Taliban brainwashing in these seminaries. This limited opportunity could push families and girls toward alternative paths—secret classes, online education, and civil society initiatives.

In the end, the closure of religious seminaries for girls is part of a broader policy: the erasure of women from Afghan society. By banning schools, universities, and now religious seminaries, the Taliban have condemned half the country’s population to illiteracy and isolation.

But history has shown that no power can extinguish the thirst for knowledge. Despite threats and repression, Afghan girls continue to pursue education in secret classes and online. The Taliban may close the doors, but they cannot destroy the desire to learn.

Author: Tamim Ataei
Afghan journalist in exile