The Ministry of Information and Culture of the Taliban has announced that its “Books Evaluation Commission” collected 929 books from private libraries across the country during the year 1404 (2025).
The ministry stated in a press release today (Sunday, 13th of Thor) that these books were removed from the libraries due to what it called “non-compliance with principles and standards.” However, the announcement did not provide further details about the types of books or the criteria used for this decision.
The Ministry of Information and Culture has also not explained which works and based on what criteria they were considered non-compliant. This has led to ambiguity regarding the evaluation and collection process of the books.
According to a research report published by Ittefaq-e-Roz newspaper in early 1404 (2025), the Taliban has removed books from libraries for ideological, religious, and ethnic reasons, and has banned the sale of some of them.
The report states that, by the month of Sunbula 1403 (2024), the printing, reproduction, storing, and selling of at least 400 titles of books had been banned in Afghanistan. These included critical books, writings on religious reformism, works related to women’s rights, and even some well-known novels and literary works from around the world.
Additionally, reports have emerged showing that some religious books related to Shiites and works written by female authors have also been removed from several bookstores.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
