Militant Islamists
Taliban impose flight ban on unaccompanied Afghan women
Taliban spokesman Sabiullah Mujahid during a press conference. Photo: Hussein Malla/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Western countries want to make recognition of the Taliban government in Afghanistan dependent, among other things, on their rights for women. But the Islamists are issuing ever stricter regulations.
Women in Afghanistan are no longer allowed to fly without a male companion. The Taliban have instructed airlines in the country to stop selling tickets to unaccompanied women, according to a document obtained by the German Press Agency.
The Taliban made the decision on Thursday at a border police meeting at Kabul Airport. Two employees of an airline confirmed the authenticity of the document.
Since returning to power in mid-August 2021, the Taliban have imposed increasingly strict regulations on women. Women should not be allowed to travel more than 45 miles (about 72 kilometers) without a male companion.
expulsion of girls
Contrary to their promise, the Taliban had recently announced that schoolgirls from the 7th grade onwards would be banned from attending classes until further notice. First, a school uniform should be designed for girls that is based on the values of Islamic Sharia and Afghan culture and tradition. The Islamists had previously announced that, subject to certain conditions, girls in secondary schools would be allowed to attend classes again at the beginning of the new school year.
After the United States and its allies withdrew and the Taliban took power around seven months ago, most provinces were only allowed to teach schoolchildren up to the sixth grade. At universities, seminars are now held separately by gender. There have also been separate school classes in the past. In many cases, women cannot go back to their jobs.
During the first Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001, women and girls were almost completely excluded from education and work outside the home. Western countries make recognition of the Taliban government dependent, among other things, on progress in women’s rights.