RASC News Agency: Tareq Ali Bakhit, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has called on the Taliban to reconsider their decision regarding girls’ education and women’s employment. Tareq Ali Bakhit met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, on Thursday, August 29, on the sidelines of the 50th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in Yaounde, Cameroon. In a statement, the OIC reported that the meeting involved discussions on Afghanistan’s security, humanitarian, and economic situation, as well as the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.
The OIC’s Special Envoy has been closely following the implementation of the resolutions adopted by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers concerning Afghanistan. According to the statement, the OIC urged Taliban officials to reassess their decisions concerning girls’ education and women’s work. Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban have banned girls from attending secondary schools and universities until further notice.
Previously, Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the acting Minister of Higher Education under the Taliban regime, stated that the conditions for girls’ education have not yet been met. He remarked, “We have not yet reached the point where we can reopen universities or schools for the female population.” In the same interview, Nadeem said, “Just as education is suspended until further notice, questions regarding it are also suspended until further notice.”
The Taliban’s Minister of Education claims that the group’s opponents elevate women’s education to the level of a “religious obligation.” He added, “If anyone can prove the obligation of women’s education within the framework of Hanafi jurisprudence, they are welcome to discuss it with the ministry.” Human rights organizations, the people of Afghanistan, and several countries have repeatedly called on the Taliban to reopen schools and universities for women, but the Taliban have yet to reach a final decision on this matter.
