Reopen girls school: Mufti Taqi Usmani writes Taliban chief

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Prominent religious scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani emphasised the need for educating women and for the reopening of girls’ schools in Afghanistan in his letter to the ruling Taliban chief Haibatullah Akhundzada.

“Girls’ education is currently an important issue which the enemy of the Islamic Emirate has used as a propaganda tool,” he wrote. “We value the wise and wholehearted measures which the Islamic Emirate has taken so far. But we are of the view that it is necessary to make appropriate arrangements for girls’ education in accordance with Sharia.”

The vice president of Darul Uloom Karachi also suggested making segregated arrangements for girls’ education, highlighting that there is a need to dispel the impression that Islam or the Islamic Emirate is against women.

Mufti Taqi Usmani went on to say to introduce different school timings for boys and girls or the allocation of different sections for each gender.

On March 23, the ruling Taliban prompted international outrage when it took a u-turn on its decision to allow teenage girls to go to secondary school. They had said the decision on “uniform for girls” in the school would have to be taken.

Since the Taliban takeover in August last year, schools were closed due to the pandemic however two months later only boys and younger girls were allowed to resume classes.

Last month, the United States and the United Nations had warned the Taliban that the failure to reopen girls’ schools could hurt their efforts to get international recognition and rebuild the Afghan economy.

The US had also canceled talks with the Taliban in Qatar over the reversal.