It was the former first lady of the US, Michelle Obama, who uttered the words, “No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half of its citizens.”
Her words came to mind following the decision of Afghanistan’s rulers, the Taliban, to ban female students from attending university on 20 December last year. This decision took immediate effect. Since returning to power in August 2021, after the US hasty withdrawal, the Taliban have been steadfast in the implementation of atrocious decisions that have taken the struggles for women’s emancipation centuries backwards. Girls have been banned from middle and high schools in addition to being restricted from most employment. Dress codes restrictions were also tightened with women expected to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. They have also been banned from parks and gyms.
These Draconian and antediluvian measures triggered a global backlash with the UN leading the charge through the secretary-general who issued this reproof, “It is difficult to imagine how a country can develop, how it can deal with all the challenges that it has, without the active participation of women and their education.” In response, the Afghan minister of higher education, Nida Muhammad Nadim, dug in his heels when defending the decision by stating that it was necessary to prevent the mixing of genders at universities.
He also believes that some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam. He cited as other reasons the failure to observe a dress code and the study of certain subjects and courses.
“We told girls to have proper hijab but they did not and they wore dresses like they are going to a wedding ceremony. Girls were studying agriculture and engineering, but this did not match Afghan culture. Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honour.”
With such drivel coming from a government minister, it is clear the Taliban is constituted by men who have essentially taken leave of their senses. The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, echoed international opposition to this madness and stated that the Taliban will not obtain much-needed improved relations with the world if they “continue on this course. What they have done is to try to sentence Afghan women and girls to a dark future without opportunity.”
He added that no country was going to be able to succeed, much less thrive, if it denied half its population the opportunity to contribute.
In refuting the Islamic justification for the ban, Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, argued that the ban was neither Islamic nor humane, and called on the Taliban to reverse their decision.
“What harm is there in women’s education? What harm can it do to Afghanistan? Is there an Islamic explanation? On the contrary, our religion, Islam, is not against education. It encourages education and science,” he said.
On Christmas day, a lone 18-year-old woman, given the name Adela, to protect her identity for fear of reprisals, staged a protest in front of Kabul University. Angered by diminishing prospects of her attaining a university degree, she stood at the entrance of the university holding a placard with the word -iqra or read, written on it. Muslims believe this was the first word revealed to the prophet Mohammed by God.
“God has given us the right to education. We need to be afraid of God, not the Taliban who want to take away our rights,” she told the BBC Afghan service.
Adela believes it is crucial for Afghan men to join the struggle. The UN Security Council weighed in to state that the ban “represents the unnecessary erosion for the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.
Ignoring international opprobrium and putting away any doubt about their lunacy, the Taliban, through the minister of higher education, have said the decision will not be reversed, even if they drop an atomic bomb on us”.
In retort, Adela reiterates, “If I cannot fly, I will run. If I cannot run, I will take slow steps. If I cannot do that either, I will crawl, but I will not stop my struggle, my resistance.”
You go girl. The right of girls to an education can never be overemphasised because it goes beyond just getting girls into school. According to the World Bank, it is also about ensuring they learn and feel safe while in school, have the opportunity to compete in the labour market, gain socio-emotional and life skills necessary to navigate and adapt to a changing world, make decisions about their own lives, and contribute to their communities and their world. After all, this is 2023 and not the Dark Ages.
It is time the world joined hands to finally put a stop to this Taliban of Afghanistan madness.
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