Kabul protest against Taliban expelling girls from school in Afghanistan

On Saturday, dozens of women marched through Kabul to demonstrate. Image: AFP

Many pinned their hopes on the Taliban’s promise that secondary schools would also be opened to girls by the end of March. Since that did not happen, now there is an open protest even in Kabul.

On Saturday, dozens of people protested in Kabul against the decision of Taliban Islamic militants to ban girls from attending secondary schools in Afghanistan. Videos from the local media showed dozens of women and girls demanding the right to go to school and work. The demonstration ended peacefully, one organizer said. In previous protests, the Taliban intimidated and harassed participants and journalists dealing with them.

Contrary to promises, the Taliban announced on Wednesday that 7th grade and older students will be banned from attending classes until further notice. First, the school uniform should be designed for girls based on the values ​​of Islamic Sharia and Afghan culture and traditions. Islamists had previously announced that, under certain conditions, girls in secondary schools would be allowed to re-attend classes at the start of the new school year.

After the US and its allies withdrew and the Taliban came to power some seven months ago, most provinces were allowed to teach only school-age children up to the sixth grade. In universities, seminars are now held separately by gender. In the past, there were also separate school classes. Ever since their return to power, Islamists have imposed increasingly stringent rules on public life. In many cases, women are prevented from returning to work.