RASC News Agency: Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, claims that all his decrees, formulated in consultation with religious scholars, are derived from the Quran and Hadith, making them “the commands of God.” He made these remarks on Wednesday afternoon February 12, during a gathering at the grand mosque of Kandahar University, attended by professors, students, and university staff. Addressing the audience, Akhundzada declared that from this point forward, “madrasas and universities are one and the same,” emphasizing the Taliban’s commitment to safeguarding and supporting both institutions. He also underscored the significance of both religious and contemporary sciences, urging professors and students at Kandahar University to pursue knowledge “with sincerity.” However, since the Taliban’s return to power, a significant number of academics and university professors have fled the country, fearing repression and ideological constraints.
Despite his rhetoric on education, the Taliban leader has systematically dismantled access to learning for women and girls. Through successive decrees, he has barred female students from attending schools beyond the sixth grade and universities, offering no indication of reversing these restrictions. In a further tightening of these prohibitions, he recently extended the ban on women’s education to medical institutes and healthcare training centers an order formally conveyed by Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban’s Minister of Public Health, to the relevant authorities. These draconian policies have provoked widespread condemnation from Afghanistani citizens, Islamic scholars worldwide, international organizations, and foreign governments. Previously, the President of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, speaking at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in Islamabad, indirectly rebuked the Taliban’s decrees, asserting that such rulings stem from their own ideological interpretation rather than authentic Islamic teachings. “Declaring what is lawful as forbidden is among the gravest of sins,” he warned.
In the latest legal developments, a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has formally requested arrest warrants for Hibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s Chief Justice, on charges of “gender-based persecution and crimes against humanity.” However, despite mounting international pressure and growing condemnation, the Taliban remain resolute in their policies, further entrenching restrictions on women’s education and intensifying their broader assault on fundamental human rights.
