RASC News Agency: Officials from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have issued a directive during a meeting with local media leaders in Kabul, instructing them to avoid using “Iranian and Persian” words in their broadcasts and publications. Sources have reported to several media outlets that these officials also emphasized the necessity of showing respect to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader. It appears that the ministry’s reference to “Iranian words” is intended to target Persian language terminology.
Previously, the Taliban had issued various directives to media outlets, particularly concerning the appearance of female presenters and the promotion of the group’s achievements. However, their recent involvement in linguistic matters indicates that they are following the same path once taken by Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s administration. Some Taliban members or their supporters have publicly criticized the use of Persian words such as “Daneshgah” (university) in televised debates, advocating for the use of the Pashto equivalent, “Pohantoon”. This linguistic debate is not new, as officials from the previous Afghanistan government also, like the current Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue, distinguished between Persian and Dari, labeling Persian words as “foreign” or “Iranian.” During the tenure of Karim Khoram as Minister of Information and Culture, this issue led to the dismissal of several employees from the national television station.
Considering the Taliban’s actions over the past three years including the removal of Persian-language signs from government buildings and the destruction of literary and cultural monuments dedicated to Persian poets and intellectuals it seems likely that this ban on “Iranian” words could serve as a tool for the systematic eradication of the Persian language from official correspondence and the suppression of its speakers.
It is suggested that the Taliban’s approach is driven more by ethnic bias and chauvinism than by any religious or Islamic rationale. If this primitive hostility is not curbed, Persian could be erased under the pretext of being “Iranian.” Strikingly, the Iranian regime itself seems aligned with the Taliban, actively supporting this anti-Persian language and anti-Aryan culture agenda.
