In the war that the Taliban have waged against knowledge and thought, and their determination to keep a generation of Afghan girls illiterate, alternative methods of thinking have become inevitable. Those who care about knowledge and are concerned about the future of millions of children in that land are forced to turn to methods similar to the wars of liberation forces against an aggressive and oppressive enemy, in conditions where conventional war is not possible. This is one of the bitter ironies of our time in our land, that the state of knowledge promotion can be explained with different examples of war and battle and can be approached with that logic.
The Taliban‘s opposition to knowledge and thought has many reasons and motivations; ranging from their disbelief in science and knowledge to their fear of citizens‘ knowledge. This group has launched an effort to increase the pressure on the educated stratum of the country, forcing them to leave their homeland, in order to make it easier for them to engage in disputes and quarrels. This is because any prevention of theft, self–opinion, tyranny, repression, and torture will take place when citizens become more aware, and can recognize their gains and losses on a national and patriotic scale more clearly.
It is of no consequence what the Taliban‘s motivation is for suppressing science and knowledge and turning Afghanistan into a barren wasteland; what is important is how to prevent this from happening and how to promote knowledge, support science, and protect culture. There are a number of steps that can be taken to address this issue. For instance, some people have created home schools, others have established private educational courses, some have held training courses in virtual space, and some have even set up online and distance schools. All of these efforts are commendable and should be applauded; however, they are not enough and only reach a limited number of Afghan girls. Furthermore, the lack of personalization of these programs, the absence of supervision by specialized and responsible authorities, the heterogeneity of the educational contents, and the ambiguity in the educational philosophy behind each of the educational programs raise doubts about their effectiveness and usefulness.
The issue of education as a basic human right and a basic need of life in the current era should be considered when discussing more basic work in this field. Regimes that are willing to deprive citizens of these rights sign their own fate when it comes to legitimacy, as they have risen up against the ordinary citizens of the society. Therefore, their overthrow is elevated to a humanitarian mission in order to restore the rights of the people to them. The most fundamental solution is to overthrow such regimes and replace them with systems based on the will of the people; however, until then, more important measures must be taken to promote knowledge, particularly encouraging powerful global organizations supporting literacy and education to seek larger solutions using digital technology. The work done in this field in Afghanistan can be an example of trying to thwart repressive regimes in order to deprive people of knowledge.
