Afghan Students’ Futures Tied to Beards Under Taliban Rules
In recent weeks, many students at Afghanistan’s state universities say they have been expelled from dormitories because of the Taliban’s strict rules. According to them, growing a beard, wearing a turban, and attending prayers in congregation are conditions the Taliban use to pressure students. Similar cases have been reported in several provinces, putting the education of hundreds of young people at serious risk.
Haroon, a third-year English literature student at Nangarhar University, says that in just the past month, around 50 students have been expelled from the dormitory.
“The Taliban pressure students under one pretext or another,” he says. “One day it’s about the beard, another day the turban, or missing prayers. In the end, they force us to leave the dormitory.”
Reports from Laghman indicate that the Taliban have reassigned the rooms of expelled students to their own affiliates. Shafiqullah, another student, says: “Those given the rooms are mostly Taliban intelligence members. They are introduced as students, but in reality, they serve as intelligence agents.”
In Kunar, the pressure is said to be even harsher. Seyed Wali, an agriculture student, says that since last week, students who shaved their beards or skipped prayers have been denied meals.
“Just a few nights ago, officials from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice came to the dormitory,” he recounts. “They beat several students for not performing the evening prayer. Afterwards, they threatened us and told us to leave the dormitory.”
He says the Taliban have imposed conditions many students cannot meet: “keeping a beard in line with Sunnah, attending all five daily prayers in congregation, wearing a turban, and even having a family member who has been martyred in the Taliban’s ranks.”
A similar situation exists in the northeast. Sources from Badakhshan say the Taliban have cut off meals for some students and threatened them with expulsion. Hamidullah, one of these students, says that if expelled from the dormitory, he will be unable to complete his education.
“We wanted to protest,” he explains, “but Taliban intelligence arrested the organizers of the demonstration.”
He adds that some students, unable to afford private housing, have already been forced to abandon their studies.
“Most dormitory students come from other provinces and have no ties to any group or party,” he stresses. “If their demands are ignored, they’ll be forced to give up their education.”
Similar reports have also emerged from Herat. Sources confirm that some students have lost their dormitory rooms simply for not having a beard. Some were compelled to return to their home provinces, hoping to re-enroll next semester.
This is not the first time the Taliban have restricted education through heavy-handed rules. In the past, the use of smartphones and shaving beards were sources of pressure. But recent reports suggest that expelling students from dormitories now puts the future of many young Afghans’ education in serious jeopardy.
Pseudonyms have been used in this report.
