Topline
The Taliban has prohibited women from attending universities in Afghanistan until further notice, according to multiple reports, in the hard-line Islamist government’s latest break of its promise to allow women and girls to receive an education.
Women peek from an iron fence in Kabul, Afghanistan, on April 21, 2020. (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP … [+]
Key Facts
The country’s higher education minister reportedly announced the new policy in a letter Tuesday, obtained by the BBC and Associated Press, which is set to take effect immediately.
The Taliban in October imposed significant limits on the subjects women could study in college, largely blocking them from fields like journalism, engineering and economics.
College classrooms were also segregated by gender, with young and middle-aged men banned from instructing female students.
The Taliban banned girls from attending high school just weeks after its August 2021 takeover of Afghanistan, but allowed women to pursue higher education before this latest policy change.
Contra
The Taliban promised after the takeover it would adopt more liberal governing policies than when the militant group last ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, specifically claiming women and girls would be allowed to pursue an education.
Key Background
Women have largely been relegated to second-class citizens in the 16 months since Kabul fell to Taliban militants. The Taliban last year banned women from employment, in May ordered women to fully cover themselves in public and last month prohibited women from appearing in Kabul’s parks. The moves come as the Taliban reasserts its interpretation of Islamic law and faces increasing international condemnation for alleged human rights violations, such as alleged revenge killings against those who worked with U.S. forces or the previous, Western-backed government.
Tangent
Afghanistan’s economy is in shambles due to skyrocketing prices, the exclusion of women from the workforce and the Taliban’s isolationist policies, among other factors. A Gallup poll released earlier this month found 98% of Afghans say they are suffering in life.
Further Reading
Taliban Reinstates Order For Women To Fully Cover Themselves (Forbes)
7 Days Under The Taliban: Photos Of Kabul Under Its New Rulers (Forbes)
Taliban ban girls from secondary education in Afghanistan (The Guardian)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/12/20/taliban-bans-women-from-afghanistan-universities/