An audio recording of a speech by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, has been obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily, in which he issued an order to close all schools, including both girls’ and boys’ schools, in Afghanistan. In the speech, Akhundzada compares the concept of school with that of a madrassa, stating that the “ethics” taught in schools corrupt people’s morals and change their views, thus schools should be shut down. He claims that the madrassa was created in opposition to the school, and the Taliban should establish Madrasas instead of schools and send their children there. Akhundzada, in this comparison, refers to the result of school Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf and in Afghanistan, former President Hamid Karzai as negative, whereas he presents the result of a madrassa as positive, representing himself and the Taliban. He then urges his audience to judge which system is more beneficial for Muslims in Afghanistan. Akhundzada also refers to “school knowledge” as “stomach knowledge,” stating that he does not want such knowledge. The exact date of this speech’s recording is unclear, but it was recorded in Quetta, Pakistan when he was a teacher at a madrassa, and it is now widely circulated among the Taliban.
In this speech, Akhundzada explicitly states that modern schools are against ethics and corrupt the views of students. He then warns, saying: “The school is a place where ethics are ruined, views are ruined; the school is against the madrassa. The modern school was created in opposition to the madrassa. Try to build Madrasas in opposition to school and send your children there.”
The Taliban Supreme Leader shares an anecdote about his village, where someone had built a madrasa and then asked him for advice on building a modern school too. Instead of using the Pashto words “Maktab” and “Shunazi” for school, Akhundzada uses the English term “school” in his speech. He asked the individual what kind of school he wanted to build. The person, referred to as “Mawlana” by Akhundzada, said that the school would have a cleric and follow the Shariah conditions desired by the ruling group; however, the content of Akhundzada’s speech suggests that he opposes the existence of boys’ modern schools as well and does not accept such an idea.
In this speech, the Taliban Supreme Leader speaks in Pashto, with the Persian translation provided in this report. He says: “In our village when a school was being built, a person came and said he was going to build a school. He said to me, ‘Dear Mawlawi, I am building a school, but it will be a proper school.’ I asked him, ‘How are you building this school?’ He said, ‘I am building a school where there will be a Mullah, and it will meet the proper Sharia conditions.’ I told him, ‘Mawlana, I won’t allow such a school to be built.'”
Akhundzada goes on to compare the outcomes of schools and Madrasas, stating that the result of school is a person like Pervez Musharraf in Pakistan and Karzai in Afghanistan, with both causing the deaths of Muslims in these countries. He insists that if one wants to see the result of schooling, one should look at these two figures.
In contrast, the result of a madrassa, according to Akhundzada, is “the Amir-ul-Mu’minin, the Talib (Taliban fighter), and a Mujahid (Taliban militant).” He urges the Taliban to recognize the clear distinction between the results of schools and Madrasas and asserts that people should not send their children to school.
Akhundzada mentions that he has strengthened Madrasas in his village while schools remained weak. He expresses hope that schools will remain weak and eventually disappear. He adds, “Finally, the school was established, but we strengthened the madrassa continuously. The school remained in one corner, weak, and God willing, this year it will end and disappear.”
The Taliban Supreme Leader accuses people of “lack of honor” and implicitly refers to those who attend school as Western agents. He claims that those who attend schools corrupt Islam, and that doctors and engineers who graduate from these schools go on to “kill human souls” with “fees and money.”
Akhundzada also refers to “school knowledge” as “stomach knowledge” and reiterates that he does not want such knowledge. He says, “Dear Mawlawi, these are dishonorable people. These mercenaries corrupt Islam. Doctors and engineers come out, and with fees and money, they kill human souls. This is all stomach knowledge; we don’t want such knowledge.”
Meanwhile, he has recently issued an order banning the education of girls and women in medical institutes that had previously allowed them to study. The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health summoned officials from medical institutes in Kabul on Monday, December 2, and notified them of Akhundzada’s directive. According to this order, all public and private medical institutes will be closed to women and girls starting Saturday, December 3.
In another recent development, a reliable local source in Kandahar told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that Akhundzada plans to prohibit girls over the age of 13, who are currently allowed to attend school until grade 6, from attending school in the new academic year. According to the source, Akhundzada has equated 13-year-old girls with “marriageable conditions.” The decision was made after a meeting with heads of the provincial councils of scholars under the Taliban administration.
Akhundzada’s view that 13-year-old girls are of “marriageable conditions” contradicts international laws and human rights standards, which consider 13-year-old girls to be children, and marriage at that age is considered a crime.
Previously, Akhundzada had already banned women and girls from attending schools and universities. On December 19, 2022, the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education issued a directive closing universities to girls.
On September 17, 2021, the Taliban Ministry of Education issued a statement urging male students and teachers to return to schools but did not mention female students above grade 6. Subsequently, schools were closed to women and girls above grade 6. The group also closed language education centers to girls in September 2022. In May of the same year, all private educational institutions in Afghanistan were banned.
Earlier, the Hasht-e Subh Daily had obtained a report from the “Curriculum Review Committee” of the Taliban, which began its review process in November 2020 under the Taliban’s educational committee. This report reveals that the Taliban have altered the curriculum to align with their ideology, removing images of living creatures and human rights issues. According to the revised curriculum, bloodshed and destruction are justified, and people are encouraged to engage in jihad. The Taliban have also explicitly expressed their opposition to the education and freedoms of women. Additionally, limiting content to the Islamic world and promoting hostility towards the non-Islamic world, especially the West, are among the main proposals of the Taliban’s committee in the revised educational curriculum.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
تضاد مدرسه و مکتب؛ هبتالله: مکتب در ضدیت با مدرسه ساخته شده و باید بسته شود | روزنامه ۸صبح
