‘Women’s Rights Not Priority’: Taliban on International Outrage over Education Ban

Amid the ongoing ban on women from attending universities and working in NGOs, the Taliban has said that overturning restrictions against women is not a priority for the group.

Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement that it would not permit any act that violate Islamic law and the concerns regarding restrictions on women’s rights will be dealt with according to the established rule in Afghanistan.

“The Islamic Emirate tries to regulate all matters in accordance with the Islamic Sharia, and the ruling government cannot allow act against the Sharia in the country,” Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement, according to ANI.

The ban on female aid workers was announced by the Taliban-led administration on December 24. It followed a ban imposed earlier last month on women attending universities. Girls were stopped from attending high school in March. They have also ordered women to cover their bodies in public, ideally in an all-encompassing burqa.

The US pushed the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on the Taliban-led authorities in Afghanistan to reverse bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school.

Zabiullah Mujahid also asked Afghanistan’s partners and international aid organizations to understand the religious demands in the country and avoid tying humanitarian aid to politics, the report said.

11 Security Council members – including the US, Britain and France – issued a joint statement urging the Taliban to reverse all oppressive measures against women and girls.

However, the Taliban authorities have shown no alteration in their rather strict policy regarding women’s education, employment and movement in the country.

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