The silent growing of extremism

The widespread presence of fighters of various terrorist groups in Afghanistan has always brought many concerns. However, less has been talked about the effects of creating religious and jihadi schools and extremist education in this field.

Sources from government universities say that about 50pc of the subjects that were previously taught as Islamic sciences have now been changed and replaced by new subjects with the Taliban’s ideological approach.

In particular, the themes of “Islamic Belief System” and “Islamic Administrative System” are recently taught in universities. At the same time, religious experts and university professors believe that the educational programs of the Taliban are not in accordance with professional standards from the scientific point of view and the standards of the teaching and training curriculum and are more ideological, fanatical, and brainwashing.

According to them, Afghanistan will become the biggest factory for the production of violent forces that will raise millions of fanatics and victims of extreme brainwashing. They warn that if the conditions become favorable, these forces will bring a crisis not only to Afghanistan, but also to the region.

A reliable source in one of Kabul’s public universities says that the Taliban have made about 50pc changes in the subjects of Islamic sciences. According to him, earlier only one credit was allocated for teaching Islamic culture, but now four credits are allocated for teaching this subject. “New topics such as the political system of Islam, the belief system of Islam and the administrative system of Islam have replaced some of the previous topics,” he added.

Educational programs of schools do not match the professional standards, it is meant for brainwashing.

Mohammad Mohaq, a researcher of religious affairs said that one of the dangerous consequences of the Taliban rule is the indiscriminate and unnecessary expansion of religious schools, which promote radical religious programs regardless of the capacity of the Afghan society.

According to him, the educational programs of these schools do not match the professional standards from the scientific point of view and the standards of the education and training curriculum and are more ideological, fanatical, targeted and brainwashing. He states that the purpose of these programs is to engineer the minds of children and teenagers who study in these institutions.

“Those who study in such institutions are like programmed robots who do not have the ability to think and only look at the world and values from a specific and ideological aspect,” he added.

He furthered that the number of students of religious schools is large and in the future they will become a force equipped with ideology, who lack the necessary skills to improve life, grow society and meet livelihood needs. According to him, this idle but energetic and fanatical force can easily become tools for ideological, military and violent jihadist purposes in the future.

He emphasizes that millions of people who are trained in this way, the only ability they have is to use them for ideological purposes and to recruit soldiers in wars and violence.

Mohaq says that increasing religious and non-professional themes in schools and universities will have unfortunate consequences for the future of Afghanistan. He added that independent schools and universities, which are willing to voluntarily implement the Taliban’s extremist programs in their institutions for their economic goals, expand the scope of promoting such thinking throughout Afghanistan.

There is fear Afghanistan could become biggest factory for the production of violent force.

According to him, part of this extremism is transferred to families by students and professors, especially women who study in religious schools, take this thinking to their homes and want to influence other members of their family. He emphasized that in an environment where access to free information is limited and people are unable to get acquainted with different ideas, extremism conquers homes.

He added that the long-term results of this process will lead to intellectual chaos in the hearts of families and turning homes into ideologically dangerous environments.

He believes that if these forces are absorbed in government institutions, companies and business environments, their radical religious thinking, which is aimed at violence, will take root in the society and in this way they will expose the whole society to ideological engineering.

According to him, from this point of view, Afghanistan will become the biggest factory for the production of violent forces, which cultivates millions of fanatics and victims of extreme brainwashing. He states that if the conditions are favorable, these forces can bring crises to the region in addition to Afghanistan. According to Mohaq, this free fighting force will be free soldiers for future wars not only in Afghanistan but also in neighboring countries.

Shahla Farid, a former professor at Kabul University, told 8Sobh, a local newspaper, that political and social restrictions have hindered freedom of speech and thought. According to her, at present, views opposing the ideology of the Taliban are not allowed to discuss with the extremist thinking of this group in universities, and only discussions are centered around extremist ideologies.

She states that the discussions inside the universities are completely ideological and one-sided, and this situation has made the ground favorable for the growth of extremism in the universities.

The former university professor added that there is no necessary cultural, political and social education for students and they rely on incorrect education that has led to extremism.

According to her, even students do not have proper knowledge of their history, culture and religion. He said that another factor in the growth of extremism is the impact of war and instability, which many young people seek to identify and find meaning in their lives. According to him, in a violent atmosphere, young people are more attracted to these thoughts.

Experts blame Taliban for prompting extremism in universities

She furthered that various factors have caused the growth of extremism in universities, which existed even before the Taliban took over, and some professors also play a role in this process. She highlights the role of government policies and political parties in promoting extremism in universities after the civil wars and says that many extremist groups have used universities as a platform to recruit members and spread their ideas.

Some parties have tried to push the youth towards strict interpretations of religion. She says that the space for free discussion and exchange of opinions in the guilds is limited and this limitation was imposed by the academic and administrative managers in the universities in the past. According to her, professors were not allowed to raise political and cultural discussions freely in the classes.

Meanwhile, a source from Herat says that the Taliban arrest and torture university professors who act contrary to the Taliban’s policies. According to the source, the Taliban, who arrest the teachers, put plastic on the heads of the people and suffocate them so that the effects of torture cannot be seen. “Some time ago, they tortured a professor in the same way,” he said.

Also, the Taliban have applied extensive pressure against religious minorities in Afghanistan in the last three and a half years. This group has forcibly converted a number of Ismaili and Shia followers of twelve imams in Badakhshan province.