Mahbouba Seraj, an Afghan activist for women’s rights, referred to the Taliban’s ban on girls going to school and other restrictions on women as a “crime” and “apartheid” in a behind-the-scenes documentary that was released to coincide with the Taliban marking two years since retaking power in Afghanistan.
In a meeting at Taliban Palace, Seraj, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, challenges Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, according to an Al Jazeera Witness documentary that was made public on Tuesday.
“For God’s sake, please open the girls’ schools,” she says. “It is not possible to have a generation that doesn’t go to school.”
Mujahid tells Seraj that her concerns about girls’ education are “justified,” but warns that “if schoolgirls go against the government,” that could “destabilize the Afghan society”.
“If we don’t agree with the solution that the scholars advise for us, and if they think we are going in the wrong direction, it could cause division and bring down the government.”
Since 2021, more than 2.5 million Afghan girls and young women—nearly 80 percent—have not attended school, according to UNESCO.
Significant advancements in female education over the past 20 years have been reversed as a result of the Taliban’s decision to keep girls’ schools closed.
The Taliban claims to respect rights in accordance with how it interprets Islamic law
The group has imposed a number of restrictions on women, including banning them from entering parks, closing beauty parlors, and limiting their ability to travel without a male guardian.
The Taliban’s views on women’s rights have been disapproved of by many Western and Muslim-majority countries.
If the Taliban’s treatment of women is not changed, Seraj warned Mujahid, the world will turn against them.
Source-Aljazeera
