Minorities | Pressure on Shia educational, religious and media institutions

ACW | 18 October 2026 — The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says the Taliban detained at least 40 people and closed at least 10 Shia institutions in September 2026.

UNAMA published the findings on Thursday 15 October in its quarterly update. It says the institutions include Khatam al-Nabiyyin University in Kabul and Ghazni, and that on 27 September seven more centres in western Kabul — including a health centre, madrasas and a mosque — were closed. Rah-e-Farda TV, a Shia-owned channel, was among at least three media outlets suspended in the period.

From seminary to university

According to KabulNow, Taliban forces ordered staff and students out of the Khatam al-Nabiyyin complex in western Kabul on 5 September and detained 28 people after protests. Two days later the Khatam al-Nabiyyin seminary — one of Kabul's largest centres of Shia religious education — was evacuated.

On 16 September the Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education revoked the licences of the university in Kabul and its Ghazni branch. Ministry spokesman Ziaullah Hashimi cited "failure to comply with ministry policies" and actions "inconsistent with educational objectives and Islamic principles", and said students would be transferred to other private universities.

DID Press reports that nearly 4,000 students were enrolled at the two branches. Abdul Qayum Sajjadi, a former MP and one of the university's owners, called the closure unfair and rejected the accusations.

Media and other centres

On 6 September Taliban forces raided Rah-e-Farda TV's Kabul office, took it off air and took owner Salman Akhlaqi to an undisclosed location. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says the pressure followed the station's coverage of the crackdown on the Shia seminary.

DID Press reports that the Khatam al-Anbia Scientific and Cultural Complex in western Kabul was closed on 22 September over alleged "anti-Emirate activities" and four people were detained, and that Salam University was ordered to suspend on 30 September. It says more than 30 people, including Shia and Hazara elders and media staff, were detained in connection with these events.

Taliban response

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid called UNAMA's report biased and an attempt to present a "negative image" of Afghanistan. The Taliban have cited legal and administrative grounds, but have given no clear explanation for most of the measures.

Background: Khatam al-Nabiyyin University was founded in Kabul in 2007 and is linked to institutions established by the late Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Asif Mohseni. The news follows the pressure on Hazara and Shia families in Kabul's Omid-e-Sabz township, which ACW reported on 17 October.

Why it matters: Closing a community's university, seminary, mosque, health centre and media within weeks is not only an attack on one group — it shows that any belief outside the Taliban's official definition is under pressure.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: UNAMA — Human rights update, July–September 2026; KabulNow; The Kabul Times; DID Press; CPJ; Afghanistan International; Amu TV

Photo: KabulNow