Afghan Women, students stage protest against Taliban's ban on entry of women in universities
After the Taliban banned women from entering universities in Afghanistan, many Afghan women and students have taken to the streets and staged protests opposing this decision made by the Taliban government.
After the Taliban banned women from entering universities in Afghanistan, many Afghan women and students have taken to the streets and staged protests opposing this decision made by the Taliban government. On December 22, 2022, a group of women staged a protest in Kabul, near Kabul University, which is the biggest and most prestigious educational institution in Afghanistan.
As per news agency AFP, several women were also arrested for participating in the protest. On Tuesday, December 19, 2022, The Taliban government in Afghanistan ordered all universities - public or private - to ban the entry of women. This decision was placed into effect immediately.
While initial reports stated that the ban has been placed in order to preserve the "national interest" of the country and "women's honour".
The Taliban Minister of Higher Education has stated that the ban has been placed as "women students had ignored Islamic instructions such as including on what to wear or being accompanied by a male relative when travelling."
On Twitter, several videos of the protests have also gone viral. In one such video, male students of Nangarhar Medical University can be seen refusing to sit for their exams unless their female counterparts are allowed to do the same.
As per reports, around 48 university professors and lecturers have resigned in order to show their support to the women who have been barred from completing their education.
As per AFP, around two dozen women dressed in hijabs and wearing masks, could be seen raising their hands and chanting slogans as they marched through the streets. The protest was initially supposed to be held in front of Kabul University, but was later on shifted due to deployment of large number of police force and security personnel.
All the women participating in the protest risk arrest, violence and social stigma. The decision by Taliban was met with international condemnation. Countries such as USA and even India expressed their concern over the decision to bar women from higher education. (Times Now) reports
