Minorities | According to Etilaatroz, courses on "Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah creed" and "rules of promoting virtue and preventing vice" have been added in all Kabul University faculties; the report has not yet been confirmed by other sources

ACW | October 21, 2026 — The Taliban have added two new religious courses to the curriculum of every faculty at Kabul University, the Etilaatroz newspaper reported on Wednesday, October 21.

According to the paper, the courses are "Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah creed" and "rules of promoting virtue and preventing vice." A seventh-semester student, identified by the pseudonym "Shakib," told Etilaatroz the courses were added in the tenth week of the autumn semester.

Etilaatroz reported that on Tuesday, October 13, students were taken from their classrooms to a faculty hall, where a mullah spoke about the new courses in Pashto. Most students did not understand Pashto, the paper said.

Students also told the paper that Taliban "propagation and guidance" officers have tightened monitoring on campus. A student using the pseudonym "Zaki" said students without a cap have their student cards taken.

An unnamed Kabul University lecturer told Etilaatroz that the names of women authors and Iranian authors are being removed from textbooks. Lecturers have also been required to grow beards and wear turbans on campus, the paper reported.

The report does not say whether Taliban officials were asked to comment. The Taliban have not responded publicly. The report has not yet been confirmed by other sources.

Background: According to Etilaatroz, the Taliban earlier formed a 55-member committee of clerics and some lecturers to revise university textbooks. Neda Mohammad Nadim, described by the paper as the former acting higher education minister, had said the curriculum saw "good renovations" over two years. On Monday, October 5, the International Criminal Court unsealed arrest warrants for him and three other Taliban leaders on charges of gender persecution.

Why it matters: In its update covering July to September 2026, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported the closure of at least 10 Shia institutions in Kabul and Ghazni. Making one school's creed compulsory for all students, and erasing women authors' names, bears directly on freedom of religion or belief and on women's rights in higher education.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Etilaatroz — Kabul University in the sixth autumn of Taliban rule; UNAMA — Human rights update, July to September 2026; JURIST — ICC unseals warrants for senior Taliban officials

Photo: Etilaatroz