Malmö Teacher Suspended After Expressing Support for Taliban in Afghan Media Interviews

A teacher in Malmö, Sweden, has been suspended and is under investigation after expressing support for the Taliban in interviews with Afghan media outlets. According to reports from Swedish public broadcaster SVT, the teacher has participated in multiple interviews with Afghan television channels where he praised the Taliban regime and criticized previous Afghan governments for attempting to introduce Western-style democracy.

In one interview from January 2026, the teacher reportedly stated that previous Afghan governments "made a mistake when they forced women to school desks during the democratic era." He also defended the Taliban's decision to close certain media outlets, saying media in Afghanistan should align with the country's religion, culture, and population's situation.

Malmö's school commissioner Sara Wettergren (Liberal Party) called the teacher's statements "completely unacceptable" and expressed concern that he might share these views with the children he teaches. "It is completely obvious that he sympathizes with the Taliban, who suppress women's and girls' fundamental rights," Wettergren said.

Peter Lindberg, the city's elementary school director, stated he was "deeply concerned" after seeing footage from the teacher's interviews and confirmed an investigation has been launched. The teacher has been suspended with pay during the investigation.

When contacted by SVT, the teacher defended his statements, claiming he was only referring to the situation in Afghanistan and not his work in Swedish schools. He also stated that his views on media and democracy have been misunderstood.

Terrorism expert Hans Brun criticized the teacher's statements, saying they contribute to legitimizing the Taliban regime and that it's "directly inappropriate" for a teacher to express such views about the situation in Afghanistan.