Taliban Minister of Higher Education: Intellectual Warfare Underway via Internet

DID Press: Neda Mohammad Nadim, Minister of Higher Education in the Taliban’s interim government, said in a speech at Herat University that the group’s adversaries, having failed militarily, are now conducting an “intellectual war” through the internet.

Nadim categorized students into three groups: first, “white-bearded” individuals unfamiliar with technology; second, Taliban and religious scholars who, he said, use technology for Islamic purposes; and third, young people influenced by Western ideas via the internet.

He claimed that at Kabul University, some students have drifted away from Islam due to internet use, and urged youth to focus on their studies and avoid online activities.

These remarks are seen as the latest example of the Taliban interim government’s restrictive, anti-technology approach toward access to information.