Kabul [Afghanistan], 11 May: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the Muslim world condemns the Taliban’s ban on higher education for women, Afghanistan-based Tolo News reported.
“When the Taliban enacted restrictive bans on higher education for women, governments from across the Muslim world spoke up to condemn the Taliban’s decision,” and they had argued that the actions were inhumane and contrary to Islamic beliefs. Blinken made the remarks at a reception to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr in Washington DC.
He added that “scholars of Islamic law weighed in to condemn the Taliban’s actions, too, noting that the Quran gives the right to education to women and men alike,” as reported by Tolo News.
The Taliban have been urged to allow access to education for both male and female students as Islamic leaders have stated that access to education for school and university students is a fundamental right of pupils.
Fazal Hadi Wazeen, a member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, stated: “In addition to what the foreigners say about the education of females in Afghanistan, this is a national and Sharia responsibility of the interim government, to reopen the doors of the schools and universities without delay for the girls, who contribute half of the population.”
Suraya Paikan, a women’s rights activist, lamented that “unfortunately, we are moving backward from the knowledge and this will affect Afghanistan and its people.”
According to Raweena Poya, a student, who was quoted by Tolo News, “The interim government promised that schools and universities will be suspended until next notice; the girls are waiting for the doors of the schools and universities to be reopened eventually.”
According to Tolo News, this comes after more than 600 days have gone since females’ schools were closed and more than 140 days since young women were barred from attending universities.