Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) The Taliban have ordered an indefinite ban on university education, for women and girls in public and private universities in Afghanistan. With the suspended the continuation of girls’ education, the Taliban showed their real face to the world.
In a letter sent by the Taliban’s Acting Ministry of Higher Education to all public and private universities, it is stated that, in accordance with the Taliban Cabinet’s decision of December 20, the continuation of girls’ education is “closed until further notice”.
The letter, signed by Nada Mohammad Nadim, acting head of the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, stresses that universities must implement this order “immediately”.
It considers contrary to “Afghan zeal and Islam” the activity of female student dormitories and that girls go to study in another province without their family members, and for this reason, travel “without sharia Muharram “. The failure of female students to wear the full hijab, the mixing of men and women, and the presence of female students in fields “not suitable for women and not conducive to their dignity” are among the main reasons cited by the Taliban’s acting minister of higher education Hundreds of women and girls in different parts of Afghanistan are protesting and asking the world to ban the Taliban, they are also asking to close the Taliban office in Qatar and stop sending them money every week.
Raised and severely criticized many times by international and human rights organizations the issue of girls’ education and constraints on women have become one of the most controversial issues since the Taliban took power on August 15 last year.
Following numerous protests against the ban on women’s education in Afghan universities, the Taliban’s acting minister of higher education said that the ban would remain in place until the issues related to sharia law were resolved. He mentioned, among other things, the situation of women and girls having to wear the hijab, their presence in the same universities as boys, and the presence of women in engineering and agriculture faculties. In fact, most of the female students and activists in Kabul, Tahar, Nangarhar and
Herat provinces have decided to protest against the Taliban’s decision not to continue their studies at the university.
However, many politicians, diplomats, international organizations like the United Nation, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan, as well as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran have also called for the abolition of the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan.
In November of 2022 this year, Taliban officials banned women from going to public parks, gems, and the hammam as they wished.
The Taliban suspended the continuation of girls’ education in public and private universities. The Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban has announced in a letter that women and girls cannot continue studying in public and private universities “until further notice”.
Just one hour after the Taliban’s decision to ban girls’ education was made public, Human Rights Watch called it a “shameful” decision that violates the right to education for women and girls in Afghanistan. The Taliban is making it clear every day that it does not respect the human rights of Afghans, especially women.
Meanwhile, Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, also condemned the announcement on Twitter and called on the Taliban to withdraw the decision immediately.
Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, tweeted, “As a father of two daughters, I cannot imagine a world in which they are denied an education. Afghan women have so much to offer. Denying them access to university is a serious step backward. “The world is watching. We will judge the Taliban by their actions.
Meanwhile, about 400 students in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, took to the streets to boycott exams in solidarity with their female peers. Also, more than 40 professors from different Universities in Afghanistan resigned to support their female students.
The Taliban’s harsh actions and bans on education and social activities against women and girls have led to strong criticism and vulnerability from domestic, regional, and national forces over the isolation of the group’s interim government in international arenas.
