KABUL: On Thursday, the Taliban government's minister of higher education defended his decision to ban women from universities, a decree that sparked international outrage.
For the first time in public, Nida Mohammad Nadim stated that the ban issued earlier this week was necessary to prevent gender mixing in universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violate Islamic principles. He stated that the ban would be in effect until further notice.
In an interview with Afghan television, Nadim pushed back against the widespread international condemnation, including from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. Nadim said that foreigners should stop interfering in Afghanistan`s internal affairs.
Earlier on Thursday, the foreign ministers of the G-7 group of states urged the Taliban to rescind the ban, warning that “gender persecution may amount to a crime against humanity.” The ministers warned after a virtual meeting that “Taliban policies designed to erase women from public life will have consequences for how our countries engage with the Taliban.” The G-7 group includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.
A former provincial governor, police chief and military commander, Nadim was appointed minister in October by the supreme Taliban leader and previously pledged to stamp out secular schooling. Nadim opposes female education, saying it is against Islamic and Afghan values.
Other reasons he gave for the university ban were women`s failure to observe a dress code and the study of certain subjects and courses.
“Girls were studying agriculture and engineering, but this didn`t match Afghan culture. Girls should learn, but not in areas that go against Islam and Afghan honour.”
In Afghanistan, there has been some domestic opposition to the university ban, including from several cricket players. Cricket is a hugely popular sport in the country, and players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. Local media reported that male students walked out in solidarity and refused to sit for exams until women`s university access was reinstated.
They have banned girls from middle school and high school, barred women from most fields of employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms. At the same time Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades.