AFP extension
ANNOUNCEMENTS••Edited
The Taliban has suspended higher education in Afghanistan for female students. A letter to Afghan universities ordered them to no longer admit women with immediate effect.
The decision is until further notice. The Ministry of Education did not give reasons for the new restriction.
The letter was also shared on Twitter:
The United States and the United Kingdom have condemned the Taliban’s decision. “The Taliban cannot expect to become a legitimate member of the international community if it fails to respect the rights of all Afghans, especially women and girls,” said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood.
The measure is the latest in a series of restrictions imposed by the Taliban on girls and women who want to go to school or study.
High school
In August last year, the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops. Since then, they have largely enforced their strict interpretation of Islamic law, despite promises to adopt a more moderate policy.
In March of this year it was decided that the girls would no longer do this at secondary school until girls’ education complies with Sharia law and Afghan culture, according to Taliban leaders. They were previously promised that they could go to school, but it was pulled at the last minute.
Furthermore, women are no longer allowed to practice most professions and enter parks or gyms.
Execution
Earlier this month, the Taliban fought for the first time since they took power a public execution. A man convicted of murder was publicly killed with an automatic rifle in the west of the country by the father of the victim, according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
