• Education is a basic human right. However, it is a distant dream for Afghan girls.

• It is more of political goals that promote a belief against educating the female population.

Women’s Education: The Dark Side of Taliban Rule discusses the extremist views, the misunderstood interpretation of Islam and the political connection in between. There was a view that Taliban may have changed after decades of US upheaval in Afghanistan. However, Taliban proved unchanged.

Since Taliban took over Afghanistan after the Fall of Kabul in August 2021, they have put wide-ranging restrictions on women. The girls are not allowed to go to schools and universities and women have limited freedom to work for financial stability. Thus, it is imperative to look why Taliban don’t allow girls to get education? We also need to look at their beliefs, their past actions, and political goals.

Extreme beliefs and Misunderstanding of Islam

Taliban were formed by the CIA to fight the Soviet Union in 1979. The group was supported financially and militarily during the cold war. At that time, the group was preached a very strict version of Islam by connecting it with Jihad. It was embroiled in their system and thus, the female literacy was waned out of Afghanistan.

It was supposed to act as a group of guerilla fighters to defend their borders. Such a force only focuses on fighting. It is never trained to govern a municipality; leave aside a national government. However, due to an immediate exit from Afghanistan, both in 1989 and 2021, the Taliban were able to take over the control of their national government. There was no exit strategy at both occasions. Thus, Pakistan was also forced to join hands with Taliban in both scenarios.

Resultantly, Taliban were able to form their government. However, it was a tough scenario for Afghan girls. The extremist beliefs stand as hardcore principles for governance under Taliban.

Given their revolutionary and inflexible beliefs, the Taliban prevent girls from attending school. According to their interpretation of Islam, women should only be at home. In actuality, however, Islam promotes learning for all. “Learning is a duty for every Muslim,” the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) declared. The Taliban, however, distort religious doctrine to justify laws that control women’s lives and keep men and women apart. They claim that girls taking classes or going out in public without strict oversight is “un-Islamic.” Most Muslim scholars, preachers and academics disagree with this, yet it’s what the Taliban think.

Ban on Girl’s Education

Taliban are a repressive force with dictatorial agenda. They did not come through vote or calls from the people to take over. Thus, they need to develop a system that their control remains strong.

On the other hand, Education gives power to the people. If girls learn, they can speak up, ask for their rights, and make changes. The Taliban are afraid of this. By keeping girls uneducated, the Taliban make sure that women stay weak and can’t challenge their rule. Education teaches people to think — and the Taliban don’t want that. So, they ban girls from going to school to keep full control.

Taliban’s History on Women’s Rights

Taliban stand against girl’s education today. This is nothing new. The Taliban, who governed from 1996 to 2001, also prohibited women from working or even leaving the house without a man, and they prohibited girls from attending school.

Millions of Afghan females were learning by 2021 when they resumed attending school after Taliban losing power in 2001. However, due to their strong and unwavering views on women’s responsibilities, the Taliban reinstated the previous prohibitions when they returned, not because they had anything new to say.

Why Ban Girls Education?

The Taliban have provided a number of reasons for preventing girls from attending school, including the claim that the atmosphere is not “Islamic enough.” They believe that materials for learning should reflect Afghan and Islamic values. The restriction, according to some officials, is just temporary.

However, they haven’t taken any action to improve the circumstances. Many think these are merely pretexts to avoid global pressure.

Resultantly, Taliban have been denounced by the international community. However, the Taliban claim they don’t want outsiders to give them orders.

They frequently claim that education for girls is a “western idea” that is inappropriate for Afghanistan. They say they will abide by their own standards regardless of what the rest of the world thinks by outlawing education.

Where do Afghans Stand?

Afghanistan is suffering greatly as a result of these actions:

• Millions of girls are no longer enrolled in school;
• Numerous female professionals, educators, and students have fled the nation or been compelled to remain silent.
• Future leaders, educators, engineers, and physicians are leaving Afghanistan.
• The future, healthcare, and economy of the nation are all suffering in the absence of educated women.

Yet, Taliban continue to block any effort towards girl’s education. Extremist views, a desire to maintain control, and a fear of strong, educated women are the reasons behind the Taliban’s prohibition on females’ education. It is a method of controlling people by using religion as a justification; it is not founded on authentic Islamic teachings.

Education offers hope, freedom, and power in addition to knowledge. The Taliban seek to deprive Afghan women of all of them.

Let me quote Malala Yousafzai here: “if you want to destroy a nation, do not bomb it — just take away the education of its girls.”