News center- Around 140 women's books, including titles such as "Safety in the Chemistry Laboratory," were among 680 deemed "alarming" due to their "anti-Sharia and anti-Taliban policies." Universities were also told they were no longer allowed to teach 18 courses, and the Taliban government banned the books, saying they "contradicted the principles of Sharia and the system's policies."

The decree is the latest in a series of restrictions which the Taliban have brought in since returning to power four years ago. Since the Taliban came to power, restrictions on society and women have been intensifying. A week ago, fiber-optic internet was banned in 10 provinces.

While the rules have had an impact on many aspects of life, women and girls have been particularly hard-hit: they are barred from accessing education over the sixth grade, with one of their last routes to further training cut off in late 2024, when midwifery courses were quietly shuttered. Now even university subjects about women have been targeted: six of the 18 banned are specifically about women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women's Sociology.

Zakia Adeli, one of the authors whose books are on the banned list, says she is not surprised by the decision. "Given what the Taliban has done in the last four years, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to expect them to make changes to the curriculum," Adeli says.