By: Sherin Yousfi
Ahmadwali, 17, has heard many times from the Taliban men who visit his school frequently about “the right to kill anyone who disobeys Islam”.
“They tell us clearly; you have the right and Islam has given you this right,” he says to Rukhshana Media. “They say being a martyr in the way of God and Islam is the greatest honor. You must fight for the continuation of Islam against any opposition. Your only wish is to become a martyr.”
It’s just one of the things Ahmadwali (not his real name for fear of repercussions) says the regular Taliban visitors preach to the students at his school two or three times a month.
“The Taliban tell us that a woman without a veil causes prostitution in society and this must be corrected in any way possible. They tell us, The Taliban government is the best in the history of Afghanistan and we must cooperate with the Taliban so that the government becomes stable.”
Students at several schools and their families whom Rukhshana Media spoke to say that Ahmadwali’s story is not unique. Some even said the Taliban that visited their school teach girls younger than sixth grade to accept the hijab. It’s customary in Islam that this practice is only adhered to from puberty.
Some families say they have even stopped their children from attending school for fear of them being radicalized by the religious extremism being taught.
One source said the Taliban forces enter the schools without forewarning and regardless of what time it is in the school and preach to the children about jihad, violence, and their beliefs.
Maysam, 16, is a 10th-grade student in west Kabul. He says that Taliban forces came to his classes three times in one month. He feels that what the Taliban say to them is a form of abuse.
“The Taliban tell us that for every young boy who has reached puberty, jihad against the infidels is obligatory,” he says.
They show off their weapons and call it man’s best friend.
“We must grow a beard and that preach that even at home our mothers and sisters should wear veils. They say that the boys must control their sisters at home and that women are the honor of men,” he says.
Human rights organizations have often accused the Taliban of using children in the war as combatants in military operations and for mine planting. The former Afghan government also repeatedly arrested suicide bombers under the age of 18 who had received combat training from the Taliban. It’s an accusation that the Taliban have persistently denied.
In girls’ schools, the Taliban propaganda is different. Several female students in religious and public and private schools say that the Taliban morality police preach about mandatory hijab and encourage them to stay home.
Eleven-year-old Tamana, a sixth-grade student in a public school in Kabul, says the morality police visited her school just two weeks ago and focused on the hijab and discouraged them from school.
“The Taliban forces say, Studies are not important for women. Islam and hijab are important. For many years, we fought so the Islamic veil would prevail. We gave martyrs and shed blood for this. You are obliged to protect that blood,” Tamana says.
“The face and hair of a woman should be completely covered so that the men in the society are not provoked and you girls do not enter into sin. If you don’t observe the hijab, you will be treated badly by the Taliban, and the Taliban forces have the right to treat a woman without a hijab in accordance with Sharia.”
Tamana has a bitter memory of a Talib in her school two months ago. She said that one of her classmates was verbally abused for her hijab.
“My classmate’s hair was a little visible. Talib said to her, fear the day you will be hanged with this hair [in the doomsday]. So, take care of your hijab,” she says.
She says her classmate was so scared that she almost fainted.
Despite this, Tamana would prefer to stay on at school. She only has a few months left until her school’s annual exam and is worried about no longer being able to go to school once she completes sixth grade.
Shakila, 10, a fourth-grade student in Kabul, says that the Taliban advised them to wear a burqa by showing them posters.
“Three weeks ago, a Taliban man came to the classroom and said that the woman’s hands, face, and hair should not be visible,” she says. “We are all afraid. Because they are terrible. They say, a woman without a veil will burn in the fire of hell and will bring shame to society and her family.”
Parwana, 20, studies in a religious school in Kabul. She said the Taliban forces ordered them to cover their faces with niqabs in the classroom. According to her, the Taliban asked religious school students to spread these teachings to their families and friends.
“All the words of the Taliban are extreme and have nothing to do with Islam,” she says. “The Taliban forces enter the classrooms with weapons in a terrible state. No one dares to criticize their words. All their words are about war, killing, and women’s hijab. They say that we stoned and killed many women in the provinces because of prostitution and hijab. We reform society by force or by good. So be our partner.”
Since seizing power on August 15 last year, the Taliban have used many methods in an attempt to popularize their beliefs. From extensive media advertisements to outright coercion. The Taliban mortality police in the cities beat and abuse women who do not wear the hijab in the way prescribed by the Taliban. The threat of dismissal from work and imprisonment of the men of the family has been another part of the Taliban’s behavior to coerce women further and pressure male family members to enforce the Taliban’s decrees.
Heather Barr, the associate women’s rights director at Human Rights Watch, recently said that the Taliban force men to impose restrictions on women.
Tamana says that of her grade six cohort over a third have left the classes.
“The girls are afraid and worried about the Taliban and their presence. Out of 30 people, only 17 students are left and even they are discouraged and have no hope of continuing their studies. Many families do not allow their daughters to come,” Tamana says.
In an interview with Rukhshana Media, several families say that their children’s education and futures are in danger under the Taliban government. But some still prefer to keep their children from attending class, especially public schools.
Kobra, 45, says that her sons, who are in grades seven and four, always tell stories at home about what the Taliban have said to them at school.
“I am worried, about whether to let them go to school or not. I am afraid that the Taliban preaching will influence them and turn them into Talibs. At home, I always tell them not to pay attention to that teaching. But they are still children and they absorb everything like white paper,” she says.
Ahmed Yahya, the headmaster of a private school, told Rukhshana Media by phone that the Taliban officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information and Culture come to the school regardless of the student’s class time and talk about jihad to the students.
“The Taliban warn us that if we obstruct them, they will stop our activities and close the school gates. With all the tax pressures imposed by the Taliban, their propaganda is too heavy for us, and some families are preventing their children from going to school,” he says.
Sakina, 26, a teacher in a government school in west Kabul, says that the Taliban forces openly teach violence to children and it is deeply worrying to her.
“The Taliban proudly tell the children, We have slaughtered, exploded, and destroyed a lot of people throughout history for the sake of the Emirate and for Islam, and now we have come to power to ensure everything is according to Islamic Sharia,” she says. “They encourage children to fight against unbelievers.”
According to the public statements of the Taliban’s Minister of Education, based on the decree of the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, they plan to establish between three and 10 religious-based schools in each district of Afghanistan.
Inamullah Samangani, head of the Information and Media Center of the Taliban government, said in a recent tweet that Afghanistan needs a unified education system. Samangani has suggested that students, both in religious and normal schools should study similar curriculum and that they should be divided into majors in the university.
However, this is not necessarily the official opinion of the Taliban. Samangani has proposed it as something to be discussed. But the underlying message is that all schools in Afghanistan should become religious schools.
“The advantage of a united curriculum (for example, up to the twelfth grade) is that children before they become young and choose different fields, sit next to each other in a scientific environment, and study in the same room and with the same teacher for years. The result would be that they consider themselves friends of each other, not enemies,” Samangani added in a tweet.
Sociologists are also concerned about the harm of teaching religious extremism to young children whose minds are far more undiscerning and vulnerable.
Jamshid Habibzada, a sociologist and university professor, says that this initiative must be prevented at any cost.
“A few years from now, we will see a much worse society than this. All the religious themes at school are more complicated, and has helped cause extremism in society. If the Taliban propaganda continues to be taught, schools will produce students with highly religious and extremist mindsets,” he says.
This article uses pseudonyms where requested to protect the people talking to Rukhshana Media for security reasons.
