Taliban banning college books written by women

[MsAmerica]

Taliban ban books written by women from Afghan universities
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0kn7yyzrjgo
Taliban Bans Books by Women in Afghanistan’s Universities
https://afghanistanpeacecampaign.org/2025/09/22/taliban-bans-books-by-women-in-afghanistans-universities/
Afghanistan bans female authors from university curricula
At least 679 titles blacklisted, including texts on human rights, women’s rights and Western political thought.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/19/afghanistan-bans-female-authors-from-university-curricula

Thanks for finding and posting these, I’d seen one article about this but not the others. And their government are still pretending that it’s not about systematically erasing women from all aspects of public life.

Just in case OP thinks its odd no one else has responded there are some recent threads where this has been discussed, along with other decisions by the taliban oppression of women.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5417636-taliban-turning-off-the-internet

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5410736-bbc-is-reporting-on-women-dying-in-childbirth-in-afghanistan

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5241362-taliban-ngos-employing-women-will-be-banned-building-should-not-have-windows-that-women-can-be-seen

And quite a few more but MN's search function is not very good!

Thanks for highlighting this OP.

It's horrific.

Hadn't seen this. So horrific and so depressing.

Even the so called civilised countries do nothing as it's only women innit.

Thanks for this. There's actually a whole load more about the Taliban and the position of women in Afghanistan,

On the cricket non boycott by the men's teams

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5282396-england-play-afghanistan-at-cricket

Child marriage

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5287087-women-in-afghanistan-rukshana-media-reports-child-attempting-suicide-over-forced-marriage

Earthquake Rescuers refusing to assist women and leaving them to die lest they sinfully make contact with one

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5406366-afghan-women-die-after-earthquake-because-male-rescuers-wont-touch-women

Links to Afghan women's charities

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5328230-afghan-women-charities

The Taliban turning off the internet

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5417636-taliban-turning-off-the-internet

Women in the Afghan mental health system
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5394905-no-one-comes-for-us-the-women-trapped-in-afghanistans-mental-health-system

Women's radio taken off air

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5275155-afghanistan-radio-begum-taken-off-air-staff-detained

Taliban instentence on male escorts and the link to maternal deaths

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5307825-i-begged-them-my-daughter-was-dying-how-taliban-male-escort-rules-are-killing-mothers-and-babies

I post these here (there are others), because this morning Yanis Varoufakis was on Woman's Hour. He has written a book about how he used to be a male chauvinist pig, but he isn't now, because he's met some Really Great Women, and you know there's this thing called toxic masculinity and it's Really Bad. And you know we need to respect the women's. His mother was a scientist you know. And he really likes strong women.

This was the same man who tweeted his glee at the return of the Taliban in 2021 (in a deal cut by Trump, but implemented by Biden) and his response to the ensuing catastrophe women were facing was "Hang on in there, sisters!"

https://x.com/yanisvaroufakis/status/1427012544523296774?lang=en

I would have thought the host Nuala McGovern, might have at least thought to ask , given his mother was a scientist or whatever, if he'd given much thought to the sisters lately. But no, not from what I heard.

'has written a book about how he used to be a male chauvinist pig, but he isn't now'

😶

Shades of Harvey Weinstein going on the women's march in 2017

https://x.com/jodikantor/status/916103297097961472?lang=en

I loathe and despise Yanis Varoufakis so much. He thinks he is a hugely intellectual Great Thinking Man.

I really really wish there was something we could do for women and girls in Afghanistan aside of donate to the teaching programmes and bring attention to their plight.

I would like, for eg, to swap every single male Afghan asylum seeker for a woman (4, right 😜) to come here instead.

ETA: i made this suggestion elsewhere. And was told i was evil for wanting to send men back there... I DGAF about them, tbh, until the women are free and safe.

As this seems to be the currently active thread about women in Afghanistan adding this link.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/25/the-challenge-of-medical-access-in-rural-afghanistan-before-the-clinic-was-set-up-we-used-to-give-birth-at-home-and-three-or-four-women-died-every-month_6749786_4.html

Archive link https://archive.is/HD0Rj

I feel a bit useless posting links to articles who talk about how terrible life has become for women in Afghanistan but maybe keeping it in the public eye is a small part of challenging it.

But would like more countries to be putting pressure on the Taliban, although not sure what they would respend to.

Nuala never gives anyone a hard time. Just tells them she loves their new book / song / unoriginal thoughts. Poor excuse for a journalist. Same with the other one (forgotten her name).

That's true, but I think it's good to remind us, since it's probably not something that we think about often.

Especially good for Americans, who often seem to be unconscious of anything going on outside the borders.

Thanks for reviving this thread.

:)

Item on women's hour this morning on the new penal code that the Taliban have enacted.

A woman going to visit her relatives without her husband's permission is now an offence. Domestic violence is now de facto permissable so long as it does leave an open wound. More here

https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-25/the-talibans-new-penal-code-two-weeks-days-in-jail-for-breaking-a-womans-arm-and-five-months-for-mistreating-a-camel.html

The Taliban have also now launched airstrikes against Pakistan in retaliation for airstrike s they carried out a few weeks ago said to be targeting militant camps

Does not leave an open wound. Can't edit the above

What exactly do the Taliban expect women to be in their society? It seems that they want women to die in huge numbers from illness, injury and domestic violence. What exactly is their end goal? If they could have a country without women would they prefer that?

Animals have more rights than women in Afghanistan.

I know, it seems such startling active attempts to destroy and harm women.

Enslaved and institutionally abused. I guess they have to try and hurt them in every way they can to stop them from rising up. Afghan women are fierce and the Taliban are far from universlly supported - so the cruelty is a necessary condition to keep them subjugated.

A hatred as old as Eve.

Actually it just occured to me that women arent seen as.full humans - the way they are treated is part of politicking - strict control of women according to Shariah was an explicit repudiation of the mujahadeen war lords.

Its as much a signal to Afghan men as it is anything to do with how the Taliban feel towards women.

It's nightmarish.

How is the total dehumanisation and enslavement of 25 million people (the number of women and girls in Afghanistan) allowed to take place in this day and age without the world doing something?

But no one cares because it's only women. It's a brutal reminder to women globally of just how tenuous our positions are - wherever we live, we could be next to have our rights stripped away, and most men wouldn't even care unless it inconvenienced them.

On a global scale, it's the most depressing, enraging thing I've ever seen in my lifetime.

The birth rate is really high and the age of marriage is really young. I think many in power consider women disposable/ replaceable so a wife dies then it’s probably a judgement from god and you can get another.

If you consider women as sub- human and only good for the begetting and rearing of children then it doesn’t make sense to spend resources like medical care on them as it’s often cheaper to replace with a younger one,

Pakistan now at 'open war' with the Taliban. Whatever that means for the women or for the rest of the world.

https://time.com/7381546/pakistan-afghanistan-taliban-war-strikes-attacks-border-clash-terrorism-explainer/

I'm wondering if the news from Iran is maybe going to force a truce. Or China banging heads together.

Well if Pakistan somehow "win" it will do nothing for women as many women in Pakistan are equally limited in their right to be an equal citizen. In fact from an earlier thread of the many their have now been on FWR someone linked to an article that showed the particular brand or practice of Islam by the Taliban is based on a version practised in Pakistan.

Bit of background on the Taliban Pakistan beef via some screenshots of the FT

https://nitter.net/DoubleEph/status/2028513839319232923#m

The Taliban still hooked on suicide bombing even with the availability of drones to do the same thing