By Raha Azad
A new religious school in Badakhshan province is raising concerns among local residents that Taliban authorities are attempting to eradicate local cultural and religious traditions.
The Taliban Department of Education in Badakhshan opened Imam Hussain religious school in Shighnan District on October 5. Rukhshana Media understands there are around 200 students now attending, with girls not permitted in any classes.
Shihgnan residents said the school is teaching beliefs that are extremely different from the predominantly Ismaili community with teachers hired from outside the district who are Sunni Muslims or graduates of other Taliban religious institutions.
Official Taliban statistics show the number of religious schools in Afghanistan has now reached 21,000, surpassing the number of schools teaching regular curriculums.
A local resident, who only spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, showed photos of textbooks used at the school, noting that none found in Ismaili religious instruction. The titles include Zewar-e-Behisht, Sirat ul-Rasul, Tajweed Quran for Beginners, and Malabdnama in Hanafi Jurisprudence.
Adherents to the Ismaili traditions refer to their educational centers as Bait ul-Ilm or Jamaat Khana. Even the term “religious school” is not commonly used within their community.
“Until today, we have not used these books in our religious institutions and educational centers because we have specific texts that align with our religious values,” a Shighnan resident told Rukhshana Media.
They expressed concern that these are signs of how the Taliban might be attempting to alter the faith and practices of the district.
Recently, Germany-based media broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that the Taliban has stormed several Jamaat Khanas – places of worship for Ismailis – and converted them into mosques in some areas of Badakhshan. This situation has heightened the concerns of local residents.
Shighnan resident Mohammad Karim said he was shocked and worried upon learning about the establishment of a religious school.
“I don’t understand why a religious school with a different belief system would be set up in a district where everyone practices Ismaili Islam. Each village in Shighnan has its own religious educational institutions, where Ismaili teachers instruct children and youth according to our principles and values,” he said.
Investigations revealed that the teachers at this religious school have been hired from outside the district, are Sunni Muslims, and are graduates of Taliban religious schools.
Photo: Social Media
Resident Nabila has decided not to send her three sons to the school for fear they will be taught to normalize aspects of Taliban ideology around violence and suicide bombings.
“On the opening day of the school, the Taliban urged people to send their children there. As a result, a few of my neighbors sent their kids, and they say that the children are being taught daily about jihad, war, and extremism,” she said.
“They have since decided not to allow their children to attend anymore.”
Shighnan resident Ghulam Ali said the community is concerned about the Taliban’s goals.
“By establishing such schools, the Taliban aim to exert greater control over the education system for the new generation of Ismailis, allowing them to pass on their values and beliefs to this generation,” he said.
Another source told Rukhshana Media that in the religious educational centers for Ismailis, alongside religious teachings, Nasir Khusraw’s books are also taught. Additionally, the directives of Aga Khan, the forty-ninth Imam of the Ismailis, which are relevant to contemporary needs, are included in the curriculum.
He said that, for instance, Aga Khan’s directives place special emphasis on the education of women and girls, in contrast to the Taliban’s stance, which prohibits women’s and girls’ education in Afghanistan.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “In our religious centers, students are taught things that aim to transform them into useful members of society, rather than turning them into individuals with narrow and dark thoughts, those who become suicide bombers, or those who commit murder.”
Previous Rukhshana Media investigations found in Herat and Balkh provinces that the curriculum in Taliban religious schools has also taught students about violence against women and religious extremism.
