Recent reports have brought attention to the seizure of tens of thousands of books from publishing institutions and bookstores in Kabul. The reports indicate that approximately 11,000 copies from Saeed Publications, around 10,000 copies from Amiri Publications, and thousands more from Maqsoodi Publications and Vazheh Publishing have been confiscated. Booksellers have informed the media that the Taliban’s intelligence apparatus is actively continuing the process of confiscating books, and it is anticipated that tens of thousands more books will be seized from Kabul’s bookstores in the upcoming days. This pattern is expected to extend nationwide, with bookstores in various cities and provinces also facing scrutiny.
Books are poor in Afghanistan, where the people have not traditionally had a strong affinity for reading. The issue with the Taliban’s stance on knowledge and culture is evident, as they consistently oppose intellectual pursuits. Even before the fall of the government to the Taliban, the book trade was a relatively thriving business, albeit with a low number of bookstores compared to the urban population. A significant portion of bookstore sales comprised textbooks, including schoolbooks that the government couldn’t supply to students, forcing them to purchase from the market. The presence of private universities also contributed to book sales, with professors guiding students on essential readings
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in its dealings with books, has also made significant mistakes. One prominent example occurred during the tenure of Mr. Karim Khurram as the Minister of Information and Culture. In 1388 (2009/2010), a truckload of books from Erfan Publications, imported from Iran, was seized at the Nimroz border. Shortly afterward, all those books were dumped into the Helmand River. At the time, disputes arose regarding who or which entity had ordered the disposal of the books into the river. Ghulam Dastgir Azad, the then-governor of Nimroz, informed the BBC that the order to discard the books into the Helmand River came from the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. However, these two institutions denied responsibility, attributing it to the provincial units of the Council of Scholars. Nonetheless, the selection of books for disposal was peculiar, with Azad claiming that some of the books were contentious, touching on ethnic and religious issues.
Ebrahim Shariati, an Afghan, and the owner of Erfan Publications, stated to the BBC that the 25-ton shipment, thrown into the Helmand River, comprised 11 unauthorized book titles identified at the Nimroz customs. According to Shariati, these titles included works such as “Hazareha” by Hassan Puladi, translated by Alemei Kermani, “Shenasehname Afghanistan” by Baseer Ahmad Daulatabadi, “Gol-e Sorkh-e Delafgar” by Javad Khawari, “Nahj al-Balagha,” a collection of letters and sayings of Imam Ali, and “Usul al-Kafi.” Interestingly, the Taliban also confiscate such books, and it remains unclear whether they throw them into rivers or burn them in wood-burning stoves during Kabul’s cold winter to heat their war rooms. Some Kabul booksellers told 8 am newspaper that the Taliban have completely collected and taken books related to history, Shia religion, Tajik history, books related to jihad and resistance, books related to previous leaders like Ahmad Shah Massoud, Abdul Ali Mazari, and others, as well as books related to the history of ethnic groups.
This similarity in book selection indicates that in the Republic system, some individuals with authority also had a quasi-Taliban mentality when dealing with books. The Taliban-controlled Ministry of Higher Education recently issued a written directive to private universities, instructing them to discard certain books from their libraries. Here, too, a clear focus has been placed on books related to the Shia religion. However, it should be noted that this ministry had previously taken similar actions in state universities, purging their libraries.
The practice of book burning has a lengthy history in our region, often exacerbated by conquests that led to the destruction of books and libraries. According to Abdul Hussein Zarin-Koob in “Two Centuries of Silence,” the arrival of Arabs in Iran marked the burning or drowning of numerous books. In contemporary Afghan history, similar incidents have occurred. During the first Taliban regime, the authorities displayed hostility towards all books (except the Quran) to the extent that people were compelled to bury their entire book collections to avoid being accused of possessing books, risking torture, and even death. Similarly, they buried their televisions for similar reasons. As the century turned, global conflicts took on new dimensions, yet the Taliban remained unchanged, persisting with the same closed ideology that emerged in the late twentieth century.
The Taliban’s animosity towards books and knowledge is not surprising. All Afghans are aware of the inherent connection between the Taliban and hostility towards books. Hence, a Taliban fighter inspecting bookstores, leaning his rifle against his leg while opening a book, became a notable scene. People were captivated by the sight of a Taliban member holding a book, a rare occurrence that sparked curiosity. Whether the Taliban member intended to read or purchase the book remained uncertain; rather, it seemed more likely that the book was opened as a pretext for confiscation or the subsequent punishment of the bookseller.
Taliban have various reasons for confiscating books, with awareness being the regime’s most formidable adversary. Perhaps no front is as formidable for the Taliban as books and knowledge. Biases and discriminations also play a significant role in selecting books for confiscation. Any book that challenges the ideology of this group is intolerable for them. Likewise, books that portray a non-Taliban identity are deemed intolerable. Ironically, those who cannot read books themselves also deny others the right to read and become literate because allowing it would widen the gap between the Taliban and the people. Even now, the Taliban are not digestible in the fabric of society. If the Taliban could use these books to their regime’s advantage, undoubtedly no book would be confiscated, and no bookstore would end up in prison. They have not banned television because it can be used to promote their regime, unlike books, which they perceive as a potential threat to their control.
