KABUL: As the Taliban government continues to enforce a ban on female education beyond the sixth grade, Afghan religious scholars have publicly criticized the decision. The ban also extends to universities, and women are barred from public spaces and most forms of employment.
Last week, Afghan women were even barred from working at the United Nations. While authorities present the restrictions as temporary suspensions, schools and universities reopened in March without their female students.
Two prominent religious scholars in Afghanistan have called for authorities to reconsider their decision, stating that knowledge is an obligation in Islam for both men and women and that women should be allowed to study.
Abdul Rahman Abid suggested that institutions should be permitted to re-admit girls and women through separate classes, hiring female teachers, staggering timetables, and even building new facilities.
He warned that any delays in reform would come at the expense of the global Islamic community and weaken the government.
Another scholar, Toryali Himat, who is a member of the Taliban, also voiced his support for girls’ education, saying that there is still time for ministries to solve the problem.
He suggested that corrective criticism should be given and that the Taliban should consider allowing girls to receive education up to the university level.
Religious scholars warned for speaking against Taliban’s policy
However, Acting Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim warned clerics not to speak against government policy after another scholar, Abdul Sami Al Ghaznawi, had spoken out in support of girls’ education.
Nadim suggested that such criticism could encourage rebellion against the government, although he did not clarify whether this applied to all criticism or only specific cases.
The ban on girls’ education has sparked a fierce international uproar, with many nations and organizations condemning the Taliban’s actions.
Critics argue that the restrictions increase the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed, and a humanitarian crisis has worsened.
The Taliban authorities have yet to make a public announcement on the recent ban on Afghan women working at the United Nations.
