In a market in Herat, the majority of shopkeepers are female students who have been barred from attending school and university under Taliban rule. In the Ferdowsi Market, located in the city of Herat, 75 shops are run by women and girls, many of whom have been forced to abandon their education.
These young women are now calling on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities, urging the regime to stop violating the fundamental rights of women and girls.
One such shopkeeper, Naheed Siddiqi, was in the 11th grade when the Taliban banned girls from attending school.
Now 20 years old, she has turned to shopkeeping, selling clothes to women and girls in the market.
“I chose this work to avoid depression,” she says. “With schools and universities closed, we were tired of sitting at home. I turned to business because I wanted to be independent.”
Other young women in the market share similar stories. After the Taliban imposed restrictions on education, many took up shopkeeping to combat the despair of being denied the opportunity to learn.
“We face many restrictions,” says shopkeeper Haideh Amiri. “Every family has its challenges, and for us, the situation at home forced us to come out and work.”
Another shopkeeper, Yousufi, adds, “The reason we are here is that we’ve been cut off from education and employment. This is our last effort—to run these shops.”
It has now been 1,081 days since the Taliban closed schools to girls above the sixth grade.
Recently, a reliable source within the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education told Amu TV that the Taliban’s leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, along with several close associates, has sworn never to reopen schools and universities to girls. According to the source, the Taliban leadership views the reopening of educational institutions for girls as “capitulating to the demands of the West and the United States.”
