Protest hits Afghanistan over ban of females from university education
The Evangelist
December 22, 2022
Women on Thursday trooped out in large number to protest in Afghan capital, Kabul, after the Taliban halted university education for females, as condemnation of the decision poured in from home and abroad, including from governments that have themselves been criticized for restricting the rights of women.
The country’s Taliban rulers earlier this week ordered women nationwide to stop attending private and public universities effective immediately and until further notice.
Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021.
They have also 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.
Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades.
In the capital of Kabul, about two dozen women marched in the streets Thursday, chanting in Dari for freedom and equality. “All or none. Don’t be afraid. We are together,” they chanted.(AP)
