Nobel Laureate Criticizes Afghan Taliban for Stripping Women of Their Rights
Malala Yousafzai has urged the international community to expose and counter the Taliban’s discriminatory treatment of women, particularly their ban on education for Afghan girls. Speaking on the second day of the “International Conference on Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities” in Islamabad, Malala highlighted the critical role of educated women in building a prosperous society.
She stressed that Pakistan’s education crisis, with over 22 million children out of school, is a significant hurdle to economic growth and societal progress. “If we don’t address this crisis, we will fail to uphold Islam’s fundamental values of seeking knowledge,” she remarked.
Malala condemned the Afghan Taliban for creating the world’s only country where girls are entirely barred from education, calling it a violation of their fundamental rights. She added that girls in countries like Yemen and Sudan are also struggling under poverty, violence, and forced marriages.
The conference, intended to address challenges to girls’ education in Muslim communities, did not include representatives from the Afghan Taliban government, despite Pakistan’s invitation. The Taliban’s restrictions, labeled as “gender apartheid” by the United Nations, have excluded women and girls from education, government jobs, and public life.
Malala, a global advocate for girls’ education since surviving a 2012 attack by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, has consistently spoken out against such injustices. She called for urgent international action to restore Afghan girls’ right to education and emphasized that empowering women is essential for a thriving society.
