Conflicts & War

Taliban criticize US measures over restriction of education for girls

Kabul, Oct 15 (EFE).- The interim Taliban government has criticized visa restrictions imposed by the US Administration earlier this week against the Islamists who could be involved in the repression of women, including denying girls access to secondary education.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan does not interfere in the internal affairs of any other country, and wants the same interaction from all other and neighboring countries as its right and demands it,” the Taliban said in a statement overnight.

The United States announced the restrictions on Tuesday, which also impacts the direct relatives of the Taliban members concerned.

Moreover, Washington has encouraged other countries to take similar steps to put pressure on the Islamists.

Washington denounced that despite the initial promises of the Taliban, they have implemented policies prohibiting women and girls from participating fully in public life, including a ban on secondary education for girls.

The US is “doing this not for the sake people of Afghanistan, but for other purposes,” responded the fundamentalists, underlining that Afghanistan was an independent country with its own values.

According to fundamentalists, the country “has its own principles to run its system in political, cultural, social, economic and educational areas,” which is “its own responsibility and obligation.

“Therefore, we do not allow anyone to interfere in any part of our system,” said the Taliban.

The Taliban have enforced a ban on secondary education for girls since coming to power more than a year ago, which they have claimed is temporary while they draw up a model of education for females in compliance with the Sharia or Islamic law.

Meanwhile, the effective ban has been repeatedly criticized within the country as well as by the international community.

These restrictions are a part of a situation of deteriorating human rights for women, such as segregation by sex in public places, the imposition of burka or full body covering, and having a male relative accompany them on long journeys.

Despite promising change, the Taliban have repeated the behavior of their previous regime between 1996 and 2001.

During that time, based on a rigid interpretation of Islam and its strict social code known as Pashtunwali, the Taliban had banned women from all public life, including schools, and confined them to their homes. EFE

lk-mt/sc

Related Articles

Back to top button