KHOST, Afghanistan — Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, has sharply criticized the Taliban ban on women and girls education, saying that there is no excuse to continue the ban and that it has no basis in Islam teachings.
Speaking at a gathering in Khost province, Stanekzai emphasized that women’s access to education was supported during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. He referenced historical examples to argue against the restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
“We ask the leaders of the Emirate to open the gates of education,” he said. “There is no excuse or justification for keeping them closed. During the time of the Prophet, the doors of education were open to both men and women. Half of our religious knowledge comes to us through Hazrat Aisha (may God be pleased with her). She was a scholar, a teacher, and an advisor to both men and women. She answered questions and solved problems because she was a learned woman.”
Stanekzai further highlighted the contributions of female companions of the Prophet who were educators and mentors to male scholars, challenging the current Taliban policies as contrary to Islamic teachings.
Stanekzai expressed frustration with the Taliban’s sweeping bans on women and girls, describing the restrictions as unjust and un-Islamic.
“Unfortunately, today, everything is closed to women in our country,” he said. “Schools are closed, universities are closed, hospitals are closed. Women are barred from going to doctors and even from entering mosques. Where in Sharia does this align? Are we more just than the Rightly Guided Caliphs? If this is being done to prevent ‘fitnah’ [moral corruption], then God, who is all-knowing, would have commanded such restrictions for the 20th century. Religion was sent to endure until the Day of Judgment, not to adapt to cultural interpretations of honor.”
Stanekzai condemned the Taliban’s approach as driven by cultural notions of honor rather than Islamic principles, asserting, “If you call this ‘honor,’ fine, it’s Afghan honor. But it is not Islamic honor.”
The Taliban has barred girls from attending schools beyond sixth grade and women from universities. Women are also prohibited from working for non-governmental organizations, further limiting their participation in public life.
