Afghanistan: men back at university, not women

The men resumed classes on Monday at Afghan universities reopened after the long winter break, unlike the women who, to their dismay, are still not allowed to study by the Taliban regime.

The ban on access to university is one of countless restrictions on women's rights adopted by the Taliban since they came to power in August 2021. It has drawn a wave of condemnations around the world, including in Muslim countries.

"Total Discrimination"

"

" Rahela, 22, from the central province of Ghor, told AFP.

"

," lamented the young woman.

At the end of December 2022, the Minister of Higher Education announced that universities were now closed to women on the grounds that female students did not respect the dress code in force, which requires them to fully veil their body and face, and that 'they were not always accompanied as required by a '

', an adult male companion from their family.

Read alsoAfghan women deprived of university: “The Taliban prevented me from returning with whips”

The universities had however already adopted new rules after the return to power of the Taliban, in particular intended to separate girls and boys during class hours.

Women were thus only allowed to be given lessons by teachers of the same sex or by elderly men.

"

," said Mohammad Haseeb Habibzadah, a computer science student at the University of Herat (west).

“

»

"The right to be educated"

An engineering student at the prestigious Kabul University, Ejatullah Nejati believes that access to education is a fundamental right for women.

“

,” he said as he returned to his campus.

Several Taliban officials say the ban on women studying is only temporary, but they have not given a timetable for when it will be lifted.

Secondary schools have also been closed to girls for a year and a half.

The authorities offered many excuses for the closure, arguing that there were not enough teachers or money, or that schools would reopen once an Islamic curriculum was developed.

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In fact, some Taliban officials acknowledge that the movement's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and the ultra-conservative clerics who advise him remain deeply skeptical of modern education.

The ban on studying came as a shock to Afghan women who, less than three months earlier, had taken university entrance exams.

Repressive measures

Despite their promises to be more flexible, the Taliban have returned to the rigorous interpretation of Islam that marked their first passage to power (1996-2001) and have increased their repressive measures against women.

These have been excluded from many public jobs, or are paid a pittance to stay at home.

They are also prohibited from traveling without being accompanied by a male relative and must cover themselves fully when leaving their homes.

In November, the Taliban also banned them from entering parks, gardens, sports halls and public baths.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced in January before the Security Council the "

Afghan women and girls", which create a "

".

The international community has linked recognition of the Taliban regime and much-needed humanitarian and financial aid to Afghanistan with the Taliban's respect for human rights, especially women's rights to education and work.