The Taliban’s Assault on Classical Islamic Learning

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghanistan’s madrasa system has rapidly expanded and become more politicized. This is one of the most significant and poorly understood changes taking place in the nation. While women’s rights, humanitarian access, and diplomatic recognition have dominated international discussions, a more profound and long-lasting project is taking place beneath the surface: the purposeful transformation of religious education to foster ideological conformity. This endeavor is a methodical attempt to create a new generation whose worldview unquestioningly conforms to the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam, rather than just modifying curricula. The Taliban are laying the groundwork for long-term political entrenchment and possibly extending the reach of global extremism by weaponizing the madrasa system, which was once a reputable center of intellectual inquiry throughout the Islamic world.

Madrasas have historically been centers of learning, discussion, and scientific progress. These institutions produced generations of jurists, philosophers, and theologians who rigorously engaged with various schools of thought, as well as polymaths like Ibn Sina and al-Biruni in the Persianate and wider Islamic intellectual tradition. Logic, mathematics, literature, ethics, and theology were all included in the curricula, creating a dynamic intellectual ecosystem. This pluralistic tradition saw the madrasa as a forum for the examination and debate of difficult issues rather than as a place where faith and reason were mutually exclusive.

However, the scope of religious education was limited over centuries due to colonial disruption, the emergence of ethno-nationalist movements, and the politicization of Islam by both state and non-state actors. Few systems, even with these limitations, represent a complete departure from the traditional madrasa tradition as the Taliban’s methodology

During the 1980s and 1990s, war, ideological militancy, and geopolitical manipulation shaped hyper-politicized clerical networks along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which gave rise to the Taliban’s leadership. Their understanding of Islam developed in a setting characterized by conflict and instrumentalized religion rather than through scholarly consensus or interaction with centuries of legal precedent. The Taliban set out to institutionalize this worldview as soon as they regained control of Afghanistan in 2021. They achieved this by radically altering the nation’s educational system in addition to increasing the number of madrasas. Plans to “Islamize” education are revealed in leaked internal documents that outline plans to replace current curricula with material that is specifically aligned with Taliban ideology. The regime’s refusal to reopen secondary schools for girls until this ideological transformation is finished makes it abundantly evident that the problem is not just resource constraints or gender segregation but also complete control over what kids learn and, consequently, how they think.

This brings up an important but understudied question: Under Taliban rule, what kind of education will Afghan children—boys and girls alike—get? International players frequently frame the discussion in terms of access, advocating for the reopening of schools. However, reopening schools without carefully examining the curriculum runs the risk of institutionalizing and legitimizing brainwashing. The Taliban’s approach is centered on integrating their worldview into Afghanistan’s social fabric by molding young minds during their most formative years rather than literacy, skills, or empowerment. According to this model, education serves as a means of political reproduction, guaranteeing that the following generation absorbs and accepts the strict, exclusive, and frequently violent interpretation of Islam held by the regime.

This change is enormous in scope. According to reports, there are more than 23,000 madrasas under Taliban rule, a tenfold increase that surpasses the expansion of any other educational establishment in the nation. The coercive infrastructure being constructed around this system is even more concerning. Families are increasingly discovering that enrolling their children in Taliban-approved schools is a requirement for receiving social services, employment opportunities, and food assistance. As a result, education is weaponized both economically and ideologically, encouraging involvement in establishments meant to foster allegiance and stifle dissent. There are connections between this large-scale mobilization effort and more general security issues.

According to UN assessments, the Taliban continues to have ties to over 20 extremist groups, indicating that the madrasa system may be used for purposes far beyond domestic control

It has regional and worldwide ramifications. Many people claim that Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, saw Afghanistan as the center of a long-term jihadist endeavor. The core of this vision consists of young men who have been brainwashed into believing that obedience is synonymous with faith and jihad with religious obligation. Afghanistan runs the risk of reappearing as a safe haven for extremist organizations as well as an ideological exporter of jihadism to South Asia, Central Asia, and beyond if such a generation is brought up in a system that rejects pluralism and sanctifies militancy. In this regard, the Taliban’s educational initiative might pose a longer-lasting threat than any military operation.

However, international reactions continue to be mainly symbolic and narrowly focused. Although vital, advocacy campaigns that highlight women’s rights and fundamental liberties fall short. External actors run the risk of ignoring the long-term effects of exposing millions of children to systematic indoctrination if they fail to address the deeper ideological engineering that is taking place. A comprehensive approach that acknowledges education as a crucial front in determining Afghanistan’s future course is required. In addition to advocating for the reopening of schools, engagement must include persistent examination of curriculum content, encouragement of alternative learning paths, and diplomatic pressure related to educational reform.

The Taliban’s expansion of madrasas is the cornerstone of an ideological state-building project with far-reaching implications, not just a domestic policy decision. If unchecked, it runs the risk of creating a generation ready to serve in a worldwide jihadist mission rather than engage in a pluralistic society. This is an issue that the international community cannot afford to ignore. The battle for Afghanistan’s future and, consequently, the security of the region may ultimately be decided in classrooms rather than on the battlefield.