The new prohibition decreed by the Taliban is added to the ban on female students to study at universities
The Taliban have an agenda that they fulfill step by step regardless of criticism and pressure from outside. 24 hours after announcing the suspension of women’s access to universities, the Ministry of Economy issued a statement that prohibits non-governmental organizations from employing women. The reason given by the Islamists was that the proper dress code is not respected in the offices of these organizations.
The first reaction came from organizations such as Save the Children, CARE and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which decided to suspend their programs in the country. “Without the women leading our response, we would not have been able to reach millions of Afghans in need since August 2021,” read the joint statement they published after learning of the Taliban announcement. Only in the NRC there are 470 women who work every day and without them “we cannot operate”, lamented its general secretary, Jan Egeland.
At first, the United Nations agencies are left out of the regulations since it will apply to groups subject to the coordination body for humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan, known as ACBAR. That body does not include the UN, but includes more than 180 local and international NGOs, which are currently key in channeling aid to civilians in a time of dire need.
Not afraid of criticism
Not only are the Islamists unconcerned with criticism, but they alerted officials in countries like the United States that “we will not allow anyone to talk nonsense or make threats regarding the decisions of our leaders under the heading of humanitarian aid,” in words of the movement’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.
This order for humanitarian organizations came amid protests that were organized in some universities in the country after prohibiting women’s access. The Taliban did not hesitate to appeal to Mullah Omar, the movement’s first great leader, to explain these latest decisions that come after they initially announced that they were not the same as in the late 1990s. «We are not against the education of women and we do not prohibit them from education. Women must be educated according to the rules and conditions of Sharia (Islamic law). They must study according to the Sharia”, is the phrase of Mullah Omar that the Taliban transmitted through the media.
From the Ministry of Education came the clearest message to be able to contextualize the moment and they said that “religion is more important to us than national interests, and if this were not the case, we would have delivered Osama Laden to the United States. in 2001 without making war. The messages are clear from a group in which the toughest sector is the one in command, a sector that has become strong in the face of those who were present during the negotiating process with the United States in Doha.
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