World3 min(s) read
Published 12:02 30 Aug 2021 GMT
Taliban will allow Afghan women to attend university, but coed classes will be banned, education minister says
Women in Afghanistan will be allowed to attend university "in safety," as long as their studies are in line with the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic law.
According to Taliban's acting higher education minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani, mixed-gender classes will be banned, per AFP.
He made the comments Sunday at a loya jirga - a council gathering of tribal and faction leaders in Afghanistan.
"The people of Afghanistan will continue their higher education in the light of Sharia law in safety without being in a mixed male and female environment," he said, per AFP.
He added that the Taliban are looking to "create a reasonable and Islamic curriculum that is in line with our Islamic, national and historical values and, on the other hand, be able to compete with other countries."
Most schools in Afghanistan were already gender-segregated before the Taliban's takeover earlier this month, and an estimated two-thirds of girls in the country do not go to school, according to Human Rights Watch.
When the group last seized control of the country in 1996 until 2001, they imposed a number of restrictions on women, who were not permitted to leave their home without a male chaperone and were not allowed to work.
Moreover, girls were restricted from receiving an education.
The group has claimed that going forward, it would respect women's rights according to Islamic law and would not seek revenge on Afghans who used to work with their enemies.
According to the New York Times, the Taliban's chief spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid insisted that any concerns had about the Taliban potentially forcing women to stay at home were unfounded and that the rule on male chaperones was simply misunderstood.
"If they go to school, the office, university, or the hospital, they don’t need a [male guardian]," Mujahid said. However, during trips that last three days or more, women are expected to be accompanied by a chaperone.
It comes as the Taliban have said that the people fleeing Afghanistan are not "worried or scared" but instead want "prosperous lives" in Western countries.
Taliban spokesperson Dr. Suhail Shaheen made the revelation in an interview with Sky News about the group's plans for the country amid the withdrawal of American troops.
Dr. Shaheen insisted that those who are fleeing Afghanistan are economic migrants and not people who are frightened of living under Taliban rule.
He said: "I assure you it is not about being worried or scared.
"They want to reside in Western countries and that is a kind of economic migration because Afghanistan is a poor country and 70% of the people of Afghanistan live under the line of poverty so everyone wants to resettle in Western countries to have a prosperous life. It is not about [being] scared."
Despite some of the acts of desperation which have been reported since the militant group took over the country, Dr. Shaheen said that that reports of the group going door to door and targeting people are false.
"All fake news," he said. "I can assure you there are many reports by our opponents claiming what is not based on realities."