Taliban Leader Urges Clerics, Universities to Strengthen Islamic System

DID Press: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has stressed the role of religious scholars and universities in strengthening what he described as the “Islamic system,” calling clerics the “heirs of the prophets” and urging university officials to prepare students to serve the Taliban’s government.

Speaking at a meeting with the Taliban’s minister of higher education, ministry officials, university heads, religious scholars and other officials from state-run universities, Akhundzada described clerics as the “heart of society” and said reforming them would contribute to reforming the broader Muslim community.

He said religious scholars bear a major responsibility for protecting religion and guiding society, adding that they have historically acted to defend Islamic beliefs and Sharia when they perceived threats to them.

Addressing higher-education officials and university heads, Akhundzada said students were the future builders of the Islamic government and should receive comprehensive training to prepare them for administrative, academic and social responsibilities.

He also described obedience, unity and solidarity as key pillars of the Islamic system and called on religious scholars to promote these values within society.

The remarks come as the Taliban’s education policies continue to face widespread domestic and international criticism. The ban on girls’ and women’s higher education, changes to university curricula and the growing emphasis on ideological education have raised concerns over the future of Afghanistan’s higher-education system.

Critics and education experts warn that such policies restrict equal access to education and risk undermining the academic and research functions of universities by placing greater emphasis on ideological objectives.