KABUL: Sources reported to Al Arabiya, on Wednesday, that Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, has ordered a ban on religious education for women and girls, following the closure of girls’ high schools and universities since the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. According to the sources, during a recent cabinet meeting in Kandahar, the Taliban leader issued verbal instructions to the Ministries of Education and Higher Education to gradually stop the enrollment of girls in religious schools. The first step in implementing this decision will be the withholding of graduation certificates for them. The reason given for this decision is the introduction of new subjects such as mathematics, sciences, and languages in some religious schools. This decision has sparked significant controversy within the Taliban cabinet. Some ministers have stated that this action “contradicts the explicit texts of the Quran and Hadith,” emphasizing the necessity of education for both men and women. However, the Taliban leader has requested a clear religious justification for allowing adult girls to leave their homes. The atmosphere of discussion in the council has been reported as quite heated, with some Taliban leaders considering this decision a cause of “internal anger and severe international reactions.” Others believe that their leader may be pursuing an external agenda that could weaken the Taliban government and create internal divisions. Since their return to power on August 15, 2021, the Taliban have imposed extensive restrictions on women and girls. Human rights organizations, foreign governments, and the United Nations have repeatedly condemned the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls. Currently, girls are barred from continuing their education after the sixth grade and are denied access to many jobs and public places.
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