Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – The Taliban has intensified efforts to purge Afghanistan of what it deems “un-Islamic” and anti-government literature, conducting stringent checks on imported books, removing titles from libraries, and distributing lists of banned works.
This cultural crackdown is spearheaded by a commission under the Ministry of Information and Culture, established shortly after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. In October, the ministry announced that 400 books, deemed contradictory to Islamic and Afghan values, had been flagged and many already confiscated from public circulation.
Among the banned works are internationally acclaimed titles like Jesus the Son of Man by Khalil Gibran and Twilight of the Eastern Gods by Ismail Kadare, as well as books by former Afghan government officials accused of spreading “negative propaganda.”
Publishers and booksellers face increasing challenges under these measures. A Kabul-based publisher described the environment as stifling: “There is a lot of censorship. Fear has spread everywhere.”
Books bearing images of living beings, considered impermissible under some Islamic interpretations, have also faced scrutiny. Officials inspect shipments at border crossings, rejecting any deemed unsuitable. “Any books that are against religion, sharia, or the government, we block,” said Mohammad Sediq Khademi, a vice and virtue department official.
While authorities claim to allow importers to return banned books for refunds, confiscations remain frequent. In Herat, 28 cartons of books were reportedly seized in a single incident.
Though Taliban officials deny a systematic shop-to-shop search, books have disappeared from shelves in Kabul and other provinces, with many booksellers quietly offloading banned works at discounted rates to avoid confrontation.
This move recalls the Taliban’s restrictive governance during their previous regime (1996–2001) but now targets a more extensive publishing landscape, particularly books imported from neighboring Iran. The campaign represents a broader attempt to enforce strict adherence to their interpretation of Islamic law across all facets of Afghan life.
