Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has strongly criticized the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, describing it as a “gender apartheid system.” She urged global Muslim leaders to speak out against the Taliban’s repressive policies during an international summit on girls’ education in Islamabad.
“Simply put, the Taliban in Afghanistan do not see women as human beings,” she stated.
Malala, now 27, is an outspoken advocate for girls’ education. In 2012, she survived a near-fatal attack by the Pakistan Taliban for campaigning for education rights.
Education Ban Sparks Outrage
Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban has systematically denied education to women and girls, making Afghanistan the only country where females are barred from secondary and higher education.
“Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are completely banned from education beyond grade six,” Malala emphasized.
The Taliban’s government has also prohibited women from pursuing careers as midwives and nurses, effectively ending their access to any further education.
Global Appeal for Action
Malala urged conference attendees, including ministers and scholars from Muslim-majority countries, to condemn these actions.
“The Taliban cloak their crimes in cultural and religious justification, but their actions go against everything our faith stands for,” she declared.
She also highlighted how crises in other regions, such as Yemen, Sudan, and Gaza, have jeopardized girls’ education. She noted that these issues rob millions of girls of their future.
Taliban’s Non-Attendance
Despite being invited to the summit, the Taliban leaders declined to attend. Their government remains unrecognized by any foreign power, with Western nations insisting that the Taliban must change their stance on women’s rights before diplomatic relations can be established.
