Fri 23 December 2022:
The minister of higher education in Afghanistan’s Taliban government has defended his decision to ban women from universities – a decree that triggered a global backlash and protests inside the country.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-run administration announced earlier this week it had closed universities to women partly due to female students not adhering to its interpretation of the Islamic dress code and interaction between students of different genders.
And in the first public statement by the Minister of Higher Education since the ban on women attending higher education was issued, Sheikh Neda Mohammad Nadeem insisted that the move was temporary, blaming the female students for their own predicament.
SAUDI ARABIA, TURKEY CONDEMN TALIBAN’S UNIVERSITY BAN FOR WOMEN
He said women were mixing with men and were traveling to distant universities without male guardians. Nadeem added that some women were being allowed to study subjects not compatible with Afghan culture or Islam, like engineering and agriculture.
Nadeem said that until further notice, women were suspended from public and private universities, and even from private tuition centers where girls receive informal education, mostly English and math lessons.
He said the Afghan government was “working on solving issues within the framework of Islamic law.” However, the same government has insisted for over a year that they are working to resolve unspecified issues that have kept girls out of high school.
The interview comes amid a global outcry following the IEA’s decision two days ago. Not only have Western countries condemned the decision but Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Turkey, among others, have also called for the decision to be overturned.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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