According to the Taliban regime, female education is contrary to Islamic values
The Afghan Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem introduced the indefinite ban on university education for girls. She released it with a letter that sent to all universities, government and private, of the country which reads: “We inform you to implement the aforementioned order to suspend female education until further notice”.
Nadeem, a former governor and military commander, a member of the religious hard line, was appointed head of the University in October and immediately expressed his firm opposition to female education, calling it un-Islamic and contrary to Afghan values.
Afghan girls had already been penalized with the ban on attending high school. Now comes the prohibition to attend university, after thousands of girls took the entrance exam to enter the faculties of engineering and medicine. A continued violation of women’s rightswhich comes just over a month since prohibition for women to attend gyms and public parks.
Upon their return to power in Kabul last year, the Taliban had ensured that women would be adequately represented at every level in society. The first step was to continue to allow girls and women to get an education and instead the very possibility of attending schools was immediately denied.
political reactions
The United States condemned the ban on girls from attending universities imposed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. “The Taliban should expect that this decision, which contravenes its repeatedly and publicly made commitments to its own people, will come at real costs to them,” the State Department spokesman said. Ned Pricewho continued: “The Taliban has permanently condemned Afghan women to a dark and barren future with no opportunities. No country can thrive when half of its population is wantonly stranded. Education is an internationally recognized human right and essential for Afghanistan’s economic growth and stability“.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, also commented on the ban: “This is clearly another broken promise from the Taliban. We have seen since their return and, in particular, in recent months, a less space for women, not only in education, but also in access to public areas and their non-participation in public debate“.
Clandestine schools
With the return of Taliban power, clandestine schools for girls were born who, especially in the cities, were used to being able to study when NATO presided over the country. Girls attending clandestine schools must be very careful. “I also go to one madrasa, a Koranic school, so I can answer questions my brother might ask me. I go to madrasa in the morning and I come here in the afternoon. I won’t let him suspect. He may ask me questions, so if I don’t attend the madrasa and I’m not able to answer, I risk being discovered”, says a girl who attends a clandestine school.
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