Women in Afghanistan: Taliban defend university ban

On Tuesday, the Taliban announced that Afghan women would be banned from higher education. They initially did not give a reason. Education Minister Nadim has now spoken – and reacted to criticism from other Islamic countries.

The Afghan Taliban government has justified the ban on higher education for women and has rejected international criticism. Education Minister Nida Mohammed Nadim said the ban, issued this week, was necessary to prevent gender mixing at the country’s universities. He was also of the opinion that some teaching content violated Islamic principles.

In an interview on Afghan television, Nadim rejected criticism of the ban from the group of the seven most important industrial nations, but also from Muslim states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey. Foreigners should stop interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. The ban applies until further notice, but it can be reviewed at a later date.

criticism of the ban

The G7 foreign ministers had previously called on the Taliban to lift the ban. The Taliban’s approach to banning women from public life will have an impact on “how our countries deal with the Taliban.” The G7 group includes Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada and the USA. The EU has observer status.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavasoglu said the university ban for women was neither “Islamic nor humane”. The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry expressed “astonishment and regret” and Qatar also condemned the actions of the Taliban.

Women demonstrate in Kabul

In Kabul, a small group of Afghan women demonstrated against the university ban. Footage available to the AFP news agency shows around two dozen women in hijab parading through a neighborhood in the Afghan capital chanting “Rights for all or no one.” According to one demonstrator, “some of the girls” were arrested, but two of them were later released.

After taking power, the Taliban assured that women and girls should have access to education. They didn’t stick to it: girls are now only allowed to go to school up to the sixth grade. Many jobs are banned for women, as are parks and gyms. In addition, women should veil themselves from head to toe.