Terror groups' infiltration of schools undermines education, endangers children’s futures

Analysts warn that al-Qaeda’s infiltration of educational institutions is among the most dangerous methods the group uses to expand its influence.

By targeting schools and universities, threatening teachers, and replacing healthy instruction with extremist propaganda, the group seeks to erode education systems from within.

Education has long been the backbone of society and a core value in Islamic civilizations, said Mukhtar Musawi, an international relations analyst in Kabul.

This central role, he said, is precisely why extremist groups seek to manipulate it.

"When a teacher, instead of teaching human and Islamic values based on kindness, knowledge, and respect, fills students’ minds with extremist ideas, they plant the seeds of criminal and anti-social behavior in them," he said.

Children exposed to hatred and violence-driven thinking from an early age become more vulnerable to recruitment as they grow older, he warned.

Musawi said that al-Qaeda pressures some teachers in areas under its control through threats, kidnapping, and fabricated religious legitimacy.

The risk becomes even greater when educators, whether under coercion or by error, pass extremist ideas to students, he said.

Human rights researcher Muhammad Taher Qayumi said al-Qaeda’s infiltration through some extremist teachers is both a security threat and a direct violation of children’s rights.

"Children have the right to learn in a safe, healthy environment free from ideological violence," he said. But once extremism enters through a teacher, "the first thing destroyed is this fundamental right."

Qayumi stressed that teachers who block extremist ideas "are effectively acting as human-rights defenders," protecting one of the most essential rights of the next generation.

Consequences of extremism

Some professors and religious scholars warn that once education becomes contaminated, children lose their final line of protection.

Sefatullah Saber, a former professor at Takhar University, said teachers play an irreplaceable role in shaping children’s social development.

"Teachers who knowingly promote al-Qaeda’s beliefs commit a grave betrayal, one that harms not only children but society, religion, and the country’s future," he said.

Such teachers, he warned, steer children toward crime and violence by filling their minds with hatred and distorted religious interpretations.

Saber said that strong, high quality education empowers children to resist deception and extremism, helping them grow into responsible, questioning citizens.

Mawlawi Abdul Fattah Muhammadi, a Kabul based religious scholar, said proper education strengthens children’s ability to analyze, understand morality, and distinguish right from wrong.

"In Islamic teachings, education holds a special status," he said, noting that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) never allowed knowledge to be used as a tool for violence.

He said that teachers who knowingly promote extremist ideas undermine both religion and the future of society.

Those who resist such extremism, he said, are "the true guardians of the faith," defending the core Islamic values of growth, justice, and peace.