Jihadi Thoughts & Military Skills Should Be Taught in Madrassas, Says Taliban’s Minister

Khalilur Rahman Haqqani, Taliban’s Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, said that madrassas should not be limited to religious education.

During a ceremony at a Jihadi madrassa in Paktia province, Haqqani said that madrassas should not only provide religious education, but also include teachings on Jihadi and military thoughts.

This senior Taliban official views the instruction of jihadi thoughts and religious skills as a way to prepare students in seminaries for the defence of "Islam and the country”.

On Saturday, Bakhtar News Agency, under the Taliban control, reported that during the meeting, Haqqani stated that the Taliban will not permit the establishment of any system in Afghanistan other than the Islamic system.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the students of a jihadi madrassa in Paktia, he added that the expansion of madrassas and mosques is everyone's responsibility.

Haqqani sought the establishment of madrassas in remote villages.

In the past two years, the Taliban has built dozens of jihadi mosques and madrassas in many provinces of Afghanistan. In addition, many educational centres, including institutes and schools of the former Ministry of Education, have turned into jihadi madrassas.

Takhar Technical and Vocational Institute, Abdul Hai Habibi High School in Khost Province, Technical High School in Kandahar Province, Babrak Khan Zadran High School in Paktia Province, Mitra Private TV Building in Mazar Sharif City of Balkh, Teacher Training Institute in Herat, and Samangan are among the locations that have transformed into jihadi madrassas.

In May 2022, the Taliban released a message attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group's leader, stating that "religious schools should be established in all districts of Afghanistan”.