Pressure to Change Religion at Bamyan University; Students Describe Violence and Threats

DIDPress Exclusive: While universities are expected to be safe spaces for education, dialogue, and intellectual diversity, reports from Bamyan University paint a different picture — one in which, according to local sources, pressure to change religious affiliation and physical violence against students have turned the academic environment into a tense and alarming space.

According to these reports, the incident began in the third-year class of the Department of Islamic Education, where one professor allegedly asked students to sign a written pledge to convert to the Hanafi school of thought. The request triggered objections from several Shiite students. These students, who refused to accept the demand, entered into a debate in defense of their beliefs — a debate that quickly escalated from verbal tension into physical clashes among students.

What reportedly pushed the incident beyond an ordinary classroom dispute was the alleged arrival of armed individuals affiliated with the Taliban inside the university campus. Witnesses told Did Press Agency that during a break period, these individuals severely beat several Shiite students in front of others. The incident reportedly left at least 12 students injured, with the condition of three described as critical.

Subsequently, rather than addressing the violence, reports indicate that officials threatened the injured students with expulsion. At the same time, pressure inside student dormitories has reportedly intensified, with some students speaking of being forced to perform religious practices contrary to their beliefs.

As a result of the situation, dozens of students are said to have collectively left the dormitories — a move reflecting the depth of their security and psychological concerns.

The incident once again raises serious and troubling questions about the collapse of religious freedoms, the lack of protection for students, and the transformation of educational institutions into tools of ideological pressure in Afghanistan. While universities are meant to foster ideas and respect for diversity, field reports suggest that official Taliban structures have not only remained silent in the face of violence and religious coercion, but in some cases have themselves become part of this cycle of pressure. Until accountability, independent oversight, and guarantees for students’ fundamental rights are established, such incidents will remain not isolated events, but signs of a deep crisis within the educational system and systematic violations of civil rights.