Taliban: Women can study in gender-segregated universities

KABUL – Women successful Afghanistan tin proceed to survey successful universities, including astatine post-graduate levels, but classrooms volition beryllium gender-segregated and Islamic formal is compulsory, the higher acquisition curate successful the caller Taliban authorities said Sunday.

The minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid retired the caller policies astatine a quality conference, respective days aft Afghanistan’s caller rulers formed an all-male government. On Saturday, the Taliban had raised their emblem implicit the statesmanlike palace, signaling the commencement of the enactment of the caller government.

The satellite has been watching intimately to spot to what grade the Taliban mightiness enactment otherwise from their archetypal clip successful power, successful the precocious 1990s. During that era, girls and women were denied an education, and were excluded from nationalist life.

The Taliban person suggested they person changed, including successful their attitudes toward women. However, women person been banned from sports and the Taliban person utilized unit successful caller days against women protesters demanding adjacent rights.

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Haqqani said the Taliban did not privation to crook the timepiece backmost 20 years. “We volition commencement gathering connected what exists today,” helium said.

However, pistillate assemblage students volition look restrictions, including a compulsory formal code. Haqqani said hijabs volition beryllium mandatory but did not specify if this meant compulsory headscarves oregon besides compulsory look coverings.

Gender segregation volition besides beryllium enforced, helium said. “We volition not let boys and girls to survey together,” helium said. “We volition not let co-education.”

Haqqani said the subjects being taught would besides beryllium reviewed. While helium did not elaborate, helium said helium wanted graduates of Afghanistan's universities to beryllium competitory with assemblage graduates successful the portion and the remainder of the world.

The Taliban, who subscribe to a strict mentation of Islam, banned euphony and creation during their erstwhile clip successful power. This clip astir tv has remained and quality channels inactive amusement women presenters, but the Taliban messaging has been erratic.

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In an interrogation connected Afghanistan's fashionable TOLO News, Taliban spokesperson Syed Zekrullah Hashmi said women should springiness commencement and rise children and portion the Taliban person not ruled retired eventual information of women successful authorities the spokesperson said “it's not indispensable that women beryllium successful the Cabinet.”

The Taliban seized powerfulness connected Aug. 15, the time they overran the superior of Kabul aft capturing outlying provinces successful a accelerated subject campaign. They initially promised inclusiveness and a wide amnesty for their erstwhile opponents, but galore Afghans stay profoundly fearful of the caller rulers. Taliban constabulary officials person beaten Afghan journalists, violently dispersed women's protests and formed an all-male authorities contempt saying initially they would invitation broader representation.

The caller higher acquisition argumentation signals a alteration from the accepted signifier earlier the Taliban takeover. Universities were co-ed, with men and women studying broadside by side, and pistillate students did not person to abide by a formal code. However, the immense bulk of pistillate assemblage students opted to deterioration headscarves successful enactment with traditions.

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In simple and precocious schools, boys and girls were taught separately, adjacent earlier the Taliban came to power. In precocious schools, girls had to deterioration tunics reaching to their knees and achromatic headscarves, and jeans, constitution and jewelry were not permitted.

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