Afghanistan Is Not Just Homeland of Mullahs, Says Ismail Yoon
Tawazon – In an interview, Ismail Yoon, a former teacher at Kabul University, stated that Afghanistan is not only the homeland of the mullahs and gave the Taliban a failing grade in the field of education.
Addressing Nada Mohammad Nadim, the acting Minister of Higher Education of the Taliban, Yoon remarked that a barrel bomb maker should not be the Minister of Higher Education.
The former teacher of Pashto language and literature at Kabul University reiterated that the Taliban have appointed unqualified individuals to lead the Ministry of Higher Education and have changed Kabul University into a religious madrasa.
Ismail Yoon believes that this situation is not limited to Kabul University but prevails across all educational institutions, as the Taliban’s general policy is to transform these centers into religious seminaries.
He urged that Afghanistan’s professional and academic community to raise their voices against this situation.
On March 21, reports of Ismail Yoon’s dismissal from Kabul University made headlines.
In his latest interview with an international television network, Yoon stated that the main reason for his dismissal was his inability to attend the university daily, leading the Taliban to remove him for prolonged absenteeism.
However, sources indicate that under Minister Nadim’s tenure, dozens of university professors have left Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has been monitoring and scrutinizing university professors since the group came to power, a practice that continues to this day.
Even before the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, Ismail Yoon was a controversial figure due to his views on ethnic and linguistic issues. His critics accuse him of fueling ethnic hatred against non-Pashtuns, while his supporters regard him as an academic and cultural figure.
Notably, Yoon is the head of Zhwandoon TV and remains a contentious figure in Afghanistan’s political and social landscape. He previously clashed with the Taliban over the use of a government-owned property that served as the office and studio for Zhwandoon TV.
