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In another blow to free expression in Afghanistan the Taliban government has banned 679 books from university campuses, 140 of which are by female authors. The move comes as part of a wider law which also bans lessons on human rights and sexual harassment, the BBC reported on Friday.

In a letter sent to universities across the country, the deputy academic director of the Ministry of Higher Education, Ziaur Rahman Aryoubi, said a panel of scholars and experts had found the texts to be in violation of the government’s interpretation of Islamic law. Eighteen university courses have also been banned in the country, with six being about women, including Gender and Development, The Role of Women in Communication, and Women’s Sociology. A further 201 other courses remain under review.

Al Jazeera reports a full list of banned books is yet to be issued, with more titles expected to be added. This present list contains books on most subjects, including constitutional law, Islamic political movements, human rights, women’s studies and Western political thought

Restrictions on women in Afghanistan are some of the harshest in the world, with girls barred from studying beyond primary school and being required to cover their faces when outside their homes. Much of the world has refused to recognise the Taliban regime in light of these abuses of women’s rights, with Russia being the first — and so far only — country in the world to lend the Taliban their recognition in July.

Of the banned books, 310 originate from Iran as the Taliban lock horns with Tehran over the latter’s expulsion of Afghan citizens in recent months. A member of the committee reviewing books at the education ministry told the BBC the step was taken to “prevent the infiltration of Iranian content” into the curriculum.

A professor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the BBC that Iranian books were important for Afghan academics as the “primary link between Afghanistan’s universities and the global academic community”. He said their blacklisting creates a “substantial void” in higher education, which teachers are trying to fill by writing their own material in line with the Taliban’s many limitations.