Safeguarding Afghanistan’s Next Generation from Taliban Indoctrination

This policy brief shows how religious education in Afghanistan has been reshaped under the Taliban into a centralized system promoting a single, state-approved interpretation of Islam. Madrassahs have expanded rapidly, replacing diverse traditions and using schools and public spaces to spread strict, absolutist ideas that reject pluralism and democracy. It argues that these institutions now also serve as tools for control, influence, and recruitment. The brief calls for Afghan-led resistance, supported by regional and international actors, to protect more open and balanced forms of education.