CNN —
A Kabul professor tore up his diplomas on live television in Afghanistan to protest the Taliban’s exclusion of women from higher education.
The man named Ismail Mashal is the founder of the private Mashal University in Kabul and also a lecturer at Kabul University.
With tears in his eyes and a trembling voice, he tore up diplomas during a set appearance for the country’s Tolo News on Monday.
“As of today, I no longer need these diplomas because this country is not a place for education. If my sister and my mother can’t study, then I won’t take this course,” he said.
He added that the diplomas are for his multiple master’s and doctoral degrees and that they are the originals.
The clip of his performance has since gone viral, including a retweet by Shabnam Nasimi, the former political adviser to the Afghan Resettlement Minister and the UK-based Minister for Refugees.
“Amazing scenes as Kabul university professor destroys his diplomas on live TV in Afghanistan,” Nasimi tweeted alongside the clip.
The Taliban announced on December 20 that university education had been suspended for all female students. This follows the government banning girls from attending secondary school in March this year.
It also follows many other restrictions on women’s freedoms, including their access to public spaces. In November, women were banned from all parks in Kabul. That same month, a Taliban official in Kabul announced that women across the country would be banned from using gyms.
Women are also required to wear the hijab and dress modestly in public under Taliban rules.