The Taliban’s madrassa system in Afghanistan: the threat to global peace and security

The Taliban’s development of an ideologically driven madrassa education system could pose risks to global peace and security. This ODI Policy Brief warns global policymakers about the implications of this emerging system.

The brief presents new evidence based on interviews with students, parents and teachers in Kabul, Afghanistan, showing how the Taliban’s madrassa education is deepening social inequality and regressive gender norms, and promoting extremism. It calls upon the United Nations and international stakeholders to recognise and monitor this threat as a global security concern.

Key messages

• The Taliban are using madrassas as sites for the ideological socialisation of both boys and girls in alignment with the regime’s strict interpretation of Islamic Law.
• The ban on formal education for girls beyond Grade 6 exemplifies the Taliban’s pursuit of regressing gender norms to embed the submission of women and girls to men in all aspects of social, economic and political life, a trend that has accelerated over the period of their rule.
• The Taliban’s madrassa system is leading boys along a dangerous path to engineer their support for the Taliban’s ideological vision. This is fostering mistrust within households and social instability.
• The implications of the ideological turn to Taliban-instituted madrassa education will pose long-term threats to regional peace and security, both core concerns of the UN Security Council Committee established pursuant to Resolution 1988 (2011), and these developments must be monitored accordingly.