RASC News Agency: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has issued a stark warning that the Taliban’s ideology is no longer confined to Afghanistan; it is now spreading into Pakistan and other parts of the world. In an interview with “The Times”, Yousafzai emphasized that this ideology is advancing largely because the global community has failed to act against it. She asserted that Afghanistani women, living under Taliban rule, are facing what she describes as “gender apartheid.” “Afghanistan is the only country where girls are prohibited from secondary and higher education,” Yousafzai stated. Commenting on Afghanistani women’s rights to work and education, she stressed, “Afghanistani women require support; they need equality, and I am telling you that women’s rights are under serious threat.”
She continued, “My priority remains the right to education for girls and the right for women to work both of which are in grave danger in Afghanistan. Should we fail to take meaningful steps for Afghanistani women, we will witness an intensification of severe gender discrimination.” Addressing the rise in terrorism beyond Afghanistan’s borders, she observed, “The Taliban’s ideology is not limited to Afghanistan it has spread into Pakistan, and we are seeing its alarming growth in other regions worldwide as well.” Yousafzai warned that the Taliban’s “absence of accountability” to the global community has emboldened the group to perpetuate its oppression of women without fear of reprisal.
In a separate interview with “Sky News” yesterday, she criticized the international community’s neglect of Afghanistani women’s plight. Referencing the election of Donald Trump in the United States, she remarked that bold, courageous leaders are now essential leaders willing to stand with Afghanistani women and advocate for their fundamental rights.