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“Islamic dress code not followed”; The Taliban do not want women employed in NGOs
Kabul: The Taliban government has been reported to have instructed NGOs to send female workers home. This action comes days after the Taliban government’s controversial order barring girls from universities until further notice.
According to a letter released by the Taliban government’s Ministry of Economy, all local and foreign NGOs have been ordered to prevent female workers from coming to work.
Economy Ministry spokesman Abdulrahman Habib said in the letter that female employees will not be allowed to work until further notice because some do not follow the Taliban regime’s interpretation of women’s Islamic dress code, Al Jazeera reported. The letter also said that the operating licenses of NGOs in Afghanistan that violate the order will be revoked.
It is unclear how the order will affect UN agencies working in Afghanistan.
Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Representative and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, said, “There is great concern about the reports in this letter, which is a flagrant violation of humanitarian principles.”
A few days ago the Taliban government issued an order denying the admission of girls to universities in Afghanistan.
Nida Mohammad Nadim, minister of higher education in the Taliban government, responded by justifying the action to deny girls education by saying that the order was issued to prevent gender discrimination in universities and that some subjects taught in universities violate principles of Islam and therefore the ban will remain until further notice.
In response to the education ban, women in Afghanistan have come forward to protest.
Muslim-majority countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar and several human rights organizations have reacted to the action of the Taliban government.
Previously, girls had been denied admission to secondary schools in Afghanistan. Under the new procedure, girls currently studying at universities will also be excluded.
The minister of higher education himself issued an order banning girls from attending universities. The Taliban have announced that the ban will take effect immediately and will continue until further notice.
‘Women’s education is disrupted. This should be implemented immediately. This will continue until a new order is issued,” Nida Mohammad said in the order issued by Nadim. This order applies to all public and private universities in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, as the process of denying girls education continues, the other day a report came out according to which the daughters of Taliban leaders are studying abroad. More than two dozen daughters of Taliban leaders attend schools in Doha, Peshawar and Karachi.
The sons of Afghan Health Minister Qalandar Ibad, Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai and Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen are receiving higher education from foreign countries.
Featured Content: Taliban orders NGOs to stop female workers from coming to work and send them home
