Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban Supreme Leader, has issued a decree calling for the identification and removal of so-called “deviant” books from bookstores, public libraries, schools, and universities across Afghanistan.
According to reports published on Monday, July 28, 2025, numerous intellectual, religious, and cultural works, including The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, and writings by some Afghanistan, Iranian, and even Islamic scholars, have been removed from circulation.
Four ministries, including the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs, Information and Culture, Education, and Higher Education of the Taliban, recently held a meeting to coordinate the implementation of this decree.
Noor Mohammad Saqib, the Taliban’s Minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, stated that “corrupting” books will be collected, and guidelines will be prepared for religious scholars to inform the public about the content of these works following Sharia principles.
This measure has sparked widespread reactions from cultural and civil activists inside and outside Afghanistan, raising concerns about the growing censorship and intellectual restrictions in the country.
You can read the Persian version of this news here:
طالبان: کتابهای «منحرف» از کتابخانهها و دانشگاههای افغانستان باید جمعآوری شوند
