On Friday, September 17th, the Taliban released a statement requiring all male students and male teachers to return to their academic institutions. Girls up to 6th grade are able to attend primary school, but they are being taught in separate classrooms away from the boys. There are also some universities allowing women to attend, however most are staying home due to fear. A Taliban spokesperson by the name of Bilal Karimi told The Washington Post that he was unaware about the Ministry of Education’s decision to exclude women from school. He then stated that “We are committed to the education of boys and girls and to have an educated generation.”
Additionally, the Taliban was seen replacing signs for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs with signs reading “The Ministry of Virtue and Vice” and “Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.” These signs represent the familiar “moral police,” or the individuals from the Taliban ruling of the 1990s, who enforced the strict rules of sharia law–resulting in the beatings of many women.
As expected, the Taliban is going right back to their old ways, putting the women of the nation at severe risk. Aside from how outrageous and sickening this news is, I really do not know what else to say about it. It is frightening, and the women of Afghanistan deserve so much more. The question is, how will America and the UN combat this? I would love to hear your thoughts.