Key Points
- Afghanistan is the only country in the world where millions of girls are prohibited from attending schools and universities.
- A Taliban spokesperson claims the ban is “temporary” while conditions in schools and universities are reviewed.
- Many Afghan women and girls say they have lost hope and maintain that access to education is their right.
“It is not that we ban women from education and don’t allow them, but it has been postponed for some time, and we are working on this to make a suitable condition for education,” he said.
Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, was interviewed by SBS Pashto. Source: SBS
“Every country has internal matters, and some countries are taking a stance on this, but other countries are unwilling to interfere in domestic issues and what people learn and don’t learn in other countries.
“If there are concerns, we have always said that it is a temporary ban and there is a work in progress, and we will not say that women will not be allowed to get an education, but we want to create the environment and conditions for it.”
“We don’t want that because most of the people in Afghanistan will stand up against our government, particularly religious scholars who have a high place in our society. These are the reasons we are taking steps with caution,” he added.
The Taliban banned girls above the sixth grade from going to school. Source: AAP
‘We have lost our hope’
“Now, we hope that this government will change, and another government will come that will allow us to study.
“Islam allows a girl to study as much as she wants, but I don’t know what they [Taliban] are thinking of not allowing us to study. We accept all the conditions imposed on us, if they [Taliban] say wear a hijab, wear a burqa, we accept these conditions, but we want the right to education.
It is a strange thing that they associate culture and tradition with education. Why should we link girls’ education with the culture of a region? It is the right of a girl.
Sadaf*
‘Afghan women are paying a high price’
“While (the) Taliban has maintained that the ban on girls education is temporary, (they have) shown little interest in working on the constraints they think are stopping them from reopening girls’ education,” Mr Iqbal said.
There are suggestions that (the) Taliban’s leadership includes individuals who believe women should not be educated beyond year six.
Mohib Iqbal
“For those Taliban members who are opposed to girls’ education, the reasoning is cultural and religious. However, globally, Islamic scholars have rejected the religious reasoning and Afghan people from all walks of life have called on the Taliban to reopen girls’ education including some senior Taliban leaders.”
Mohib Iqbal, president of the Afghan National Council Australia. Source: Supplied / Supplied
Mr Iqbal said that Afghan women and girls were “paying a great price for the policies currently denying them the right to education and work.” He called on the international community to exert pressure on the Taliban to allow Afghan women and girls access to education again.
“Australia and the international community should pursue diplomacy and pressure the Taliban to re-open girls’ schools. It should also invest in online education for Afghan women for which currently many organisations are working.”
‘The Taliban’s war on women’
“Women participating in protests have been subjected to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.“