Afghan religious scholars slam ban on girls’ education

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Afghan religious scholars say government ban on girls’ education is un-Islamic

April 8, 2023, 11:17 a.m. ET

3 minute read

JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Afghan religious scholars criticized a ban on women’s education on Saturday, as a key Taliban minister warned clerics not to rebel against the government over the contentious issue.

Girls cannot go to school beyond sixth grade in Afghanistan, with the ban on education extending to universities. Women are excluded from public spaces, including parks, and from most forms of employment. Last week, Afghan women were banned from working at the UN, according to the world body, although the Taliban has yet to make a public announcement.

Authorities are presenting education restrictions as temporary suspensions rather than bans, but universities and schools reopened in March without their female students.

The bans have raised a fierce international outcry, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and worsened a humanitarian crisis.

Two well-known religious scholars in Afghanistan said on Saturday authorities should reconsider their decision. Public opposition to Taliban policies is rare, although some Taliban leaders have expressed disagreement with the decision-making process.

An academic, Abdul Rahman Abid, said institutions should be allowed to readmit girls and women into separate classes, hiring female teachers, staggering hours and even building new facilities.

Knowledge is obligatory in Islam for both men and women, he told The Associated Press, and Islam allows women to study.

My daughter is absent from school, I’m ashamed, I don’t have an answer for my daughter, he says. My daughter asks why girls are not allowed to learn in the Islamic system. I don’t have an answer for her.

He said reform was needed and warned that any delay was to the detriment of the global Islamic community and also weakened the government.

Another scholar, a member of the Taliban, told the AP there was still time for ministries to address the problem of girls’ education. Toryali Himat cited ministries including the inner circle of Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who is based in Kandahar.

It was on his orders that the government banned girls from classrooms. Himat said there are two types of criticism, one that destroys the system and the other that makes corrective criticism.

Islam has allowed both men and women to learn, but the hijab and the curriculum must be considered, Himat said. Corrective criticisms should be issued and the Islamic emirate should reflect on them. Where there is no criticism, there is the possibility of corruption. My personal opinion is that girls should be educated up to university level.

Acting Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim said on Friday that clerics should not speak out against government policy.

He made the remarks after another scholar, Abdul Sami Al Ghaznawi, told students at a religious school that there was no conflict over girls’ education. He said Islamic scriptures made it clear that girls’ education was acceptable. Al Ghaznawi was not immediately available for comment.

Nadim appeared to target Al Ghaznawi by mentioning a reputable scholar at the top of a video statement posted on social media.

You encouraged people to rebel, so what’s the result? said Nadim. The result is that rebellion against this (prohibition) is permitted. If people are encouraged to rebel against the system, will it benefit Muslims?

The minister was not immediately available for comment. But his spokesman, Hafiz Ziaullah Hashimi, confirmed Nadim’s words without giving further details about who they were meant for or why.

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