RASC News Agency: Mohammad Ismail Yoon has confirmed his dismissal from Kabul University by the Taliban regime, claiming the institution has been stripped of its academic essence and reduced to a religious seminary. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Yoon alleged that Afghanistan’s universities have been systematically transformed into ideological training centers under Taliban rule and that he was officially removed from his position by the group’s Ministry of Higher Education. Yoon, a professor in the Pashto Department at the Faculty of Language and Literature, had long been a polarizing figure, with many students accusing him of ethnic and ideological biases.
In his post, Yoon expressed deep concern over Afghanistan’s intellectual decline, warning that the country is regressing instead of advancing. He stated that Kabul University has ceased to function as an academic institution and has instead become a Taliban-controlled religious school. He condemned the Taliban’s systematic suppression of higher education, particularly the ban on women’s education and the ideological vetting of students, likening Kabul University under the Taliban to a mere “rural Madrasa.” After three decades of teaching, Yoon lamented that the university is now under the domination of the Taliban’s “religious police,” and he highlighted a mass exodus of university professors fleeing the country.
The Taliban have previously dismissed numerous seasoned academics, replacing them with graduates of unaccredited religious seminaries. Although Yoon had previously engaged with Taliban literary circles and maintained fluctuating ties with the group, he now finds himself in opposition to their policies. Once a controversial figure due to his ethnic and linguistic stances, often accused of inflaming ethnic tensions, Yoon now speaks out against the stark realities of Afghanistan’s deteriorating academic landscape under Taliban rule.
