The Taliban authorities, in power in Afghanistan, forcibly neutralized a demonstration this Thursday in Kabul with dozens of women protesting against the measure that prohibits female university education in the country.
The group made up of “social activists, girls and students” chanted slogans such as: “either all or no one” and “we want equal educational opportunities” during the protest in Kabul “against the cruel decision of the Taliban government.”
Basira Hussaini, organizer of the protest march, told the Spanish news agency Efe that the action ended abruptly because “the Taliban security forces and police violently dispersed the demonstration” and tortured and detained some of the participants.
The protest took place a day after the Taliban authorities officially decreed a ban on university education for Afghan students.
On Wednesday women were prevented from entering university teaching establishments.
The ban decreed by the fundamentalists, condemned by several countries and international organizations, was included in the extensive list of restrictions against women, such as taxes on access to secondary education, segregation in the use of public spaces, in addition to the obligation to The Islamic headscarf.
Meanwhile, Turkey and Saudi Arabia became the latest Muslim-majority countries to condemn the Taliban authorities’ decision against Afghan women.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the ban was “neither Islamic nor humane”.
In a joint press conference with his Yemeni counterpart, Cavusoglu called on the Taliban to reconsider the decision.
“What’s wrong with women’s education? What’s wrong with Afghanistan?” Cavusoglu asked. “Is there an Islamic explanation? On the contrary, our religion, Islam, is not against education, on the contrary, it promotes education and science,” added the head of Turkish diplomacy.
Saudi Arabia, which until 2019 placed widespread restrictions on women’s travel, access to the labor market and other crucial aspects of daily life, including driving, has also urged the Taliban to reverse their minds.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “shock and regret” that Afghan women are being denied a university education.
Earlier, Qatar, which maintains ties to the Taliban authorities, also condemned the decision.
In another sign of internal opposition, several Afghan cricketers have condemned the university ban for Afghan women.
Cricket is an extremely popular sport in Afghanistan and the players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
Source: TSF
