RASC News Agency: A group of Afghanistani university professors has submitted a letter to the United Nations, asserting that the Taliban are systematically dismantling academic institutions to propagate their ethnonationalist and extremist ideology. According to the professors, the Taliban aim to purge qualified academics, replace them with clerics, and transform universities into hubs of radical indoctrination. In the letter dated January 9, the professors warned: “Continuing civic, academic, and teaching activities in Afghanistan has become not only challenging but extremely dangerous.” They accused the Taliban of implementing arbitrary reforms and fostering an environment of fear in universities to enforce a policy of ideological and ethnic homogenization. The Taliban’s intelligence apparatus, the letter stated, now conditions academic participation on refraining from anti-Taliban discourse and passing the group’s religious examinations.
The letter outlined three principal objectives of the Taliban’s academic policies: The systematic removal of professional academics and their replacement with clerics loyal to the regime. The identification and targeting of professors for imprisonment or assassination. The conversion of academic institutions into religious seminaries aligned with Taliban ideology. The professors underscored the Taliban’s enmity toward modern education and university-trained professionals, stating that the group seeks to staff universities with ideological propagandists while sidelining genuine academic expertise. Many professors, they revealed, are subjected to continuous interrogations, threats of execution, and other forms of intimidation, compelling them to flee the country in search of safety.
The professors shared the Persian and English versions of their protest letter with RASC News Agency, requesting anonymity to protect themselves from further Taliban retribution. They added that, if necessary, they would disclose a comprehensive list of professors recently suspended for refusing to retake the Taliban’s mandatory religious exams. The letter concluded with an appeal to the international community to facilitate opportunities for displaced Afghanistani academics to continue their scholarly work outside the country. The professors stressed the urgent need for global support to preserve Afghanistan’s intellectual and academic legacy in the face of systematic suppression by the Taliban.
