Taliban ban on education for women ‘neither Islamic nor humanitarian’: FM

ANKARA

Banning womens’ university education in Afghanistan is “neither Islamic nor humanitarian. We reject such a ban,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Dec. 22.

“We reject such a ban,” Çavuşoğlu said at a news conference with his Yemeni counterpart Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.

The minister’s statement came after Afghanistan’s Higher Education Ministry on Dec. 20 issued a decision to ban young women from university education until further notice.

“The ban on university education for female students in Afghanistan has deeply saddened us and is a serious concern. What harm does women’s education do to Afghanistan, and what is the benefit of this ban?” he asked.

Islam is not against education, on the contrary, it supports education, the minister emphasized.

“We expect the Taliban to abandon this decision. Türkiye will continue to provide education and scholarships to our Afghan sisters,” Çavuşoğlu stated.

Underlining that Türkiye has been advocating for engagement without recognition since the Taliban took over the country and has recommended this to other countries, Çavuşoğlu noted that Afghanistan’s stability and security is important for everyone.

Turkish presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın also criticized the Taliban’s ban on female education.
“The Taliban administration took a decision banning female students from entering universities in Afghanistan. This is a decision that goes against the spirit of Islam. This ban has no place in religion,” Kalın tweeted on Dec. 21.

Since seizing power, the Taliban have imposed many restrictions on women.

Most teenage girls are barred from secondary school, women have been pushed out of many government jobs, prevented from travelling without a male relative and ordered to cover up outside the home, ideally with a burqa.

They are also not allowed to enter parks or gardens. The Taliban have returned to public floggings of men and women in recent weeks, widening their implementation of an extreme interpretation of Islamic law.

The Supreme Court said that 44 people – including six women – were flogged in Badakshan and Uruzgan provinces on Thursday after being found guilty of various offences.