RASC News Agency: Sibghatullah Mullahzadeh, a prominent member of the “Darul Uloom Aali Herat” and a well-known cleric from the province, has publicly challenged Neda Mohammad Nadim, the acting Minister of Higher Education for the Taliban, to a scholarly debate on the issue of girls’ education. In a video released yesterday, Mullahzadeh argued that the minister’s statements regarding girls’ education reflect only his personal opinion, asserting that many scholars in Afghanistan and across the Islamic world oppose this view. He emphasized that Darul Uloom Aali Herat is prepared to engage in a scholarly debate with the acting minister on the “legitimacy of female education” before national and international media, to clarify that Nadim’s remarks are solely his personal perspective.
The Taliban’s acting Minister of Higher Education stated, “The short answer to this issue is that, as education is suspended until further notice, any questions regarding it are also suspended until further notice.” He further claimed that the group’s decision regarding girls’ education is “not in contradiction with Islam, Afghan/Pashtun traditions, or an injustice against Muslims.”
Nadim also invited anyone who could prove, through the lens of Hanafi jurisprudence, that women’s education is justified to bring their evidence to his ministry and engage in a discussion with him. Since the Taliban’s return to power, they have prohibited girls from receiving education beyond the sixth grade “until further notice.” Following this, they also banned female students from attending universities indefinitely.
