Afghans unable to go to school due to Taliban veto: “We are victims of terror, ignorance and lack of culture”

Zahra, an Afghan student who had just graduated from psychology, was talking to her sisters and some of her relatives when she checked her cell phone messages and saw a news message announcing a new ban on university education for women. On December 21, the Ministry of Education of the Taliban government Send a letter For all universities in Afghanistan, it has banned women’s access to higher education. The letter, signed by the Head of Education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said the following: “All are informed to comply with the above order suspending women’s education until further notice.

“Actually, it didn’t surprise me,” Zahra told elDiario.es from Afghanistan, “I expected it from the Taliban.” “They are a group of terrorists who came to Afghanistan without any humanitarian route and they force people to do it because of their stupid beliefs.”

Zahra says it was “much tougher” on Afghan girls than any measure previously imposed. “This decision will drive everyone crazy, no one wants to stay at home and stare at the walls. He also notes that after the adoption of the measure, many demonstrations were organized in the country. However, this They were quickly repelled by the Taliban.

Since the arrival of the fundamentalists, girls have been forced to wear veils in universities or segregated by gender. Zahra explains that although she graduated last December, before the ban, she feels “very upset” with people who are still at university, such as her sister or her cousins. “They were supposed to finish in a year,” he says. Despite this, she says, Afghan girls “will do anything to find different ways to learn.”

“We were born with pain and we live with pain”

Farahat* was not as lucky as Zahra. He was still a few exams away from graduating in medicine when he learned of the ban. He told elDiario.es that he chose to be a doctor because he felt the need to “serve and help” his nation. This is mainly because Afghanistan is one of the countries most in need of humanitarian aid these days due to the chronic and complex crisis in the country. Doctors Without Borders says The shortage of medical personnel is one of the main problems of the Afghan health system.

“We are Afghan girls, we were born with pain and we live with pain,” says Farahati, “but closing the doors of educational institutions shook our whole being.” “We broke and fell to pieces, new pain was added to the previous pain. We are victims of the terror of ignorance and lack of culture,” he asserts.

These days, Farahati says, Afghan students live “more motivated than ever.” “The goals I had for the future seem far away.” However, he does not accept “defeat” and promises that he will fight for his “future” and country. “I will never stop trying, even if the whole world joins hands and tries to destroy me,” he adds.

“Illiterate Society”

When the Taliban came to power in August 2021, they promised a different path than they had 20 years ago, when they already ruled the country. It was not like that. The ban on women’s university entry comes in addition to an indefinite suspension of access to secondary education for girls, which the Taliban imposed in September 2021. This measure already limited Afghan girls’ access to higher education. A few weeks ago, they also imposed a veto on women working in NGOs.

Majuba, a 30-year-old teacher and political activist, tells this media that she was forced to leave her classroom last August. “Taliban I was arrested during several rallies“. “I quit my job after hearing a Taliban intelligence warning about my safety,” he recounts.

According to Mahjuba, women in Afghanistan were subject to many restrictions after the Taliban came to power. “We are facing an uncertain future, we have lost all hope. Despite this, he emphasizes that they will not stop fighting. “When a woman is illiterate, the family is also illiterate. When the family is illiterate, the society is also illiterate. After all, women are half of the Afghan society”, says the teacher. With these bans, “Taliban is erasing our identity.”

The event quickly sparked international condemnation. Ramiz AlakbarovThe UN Secretary-General’s deputy special representative for Afghanistan said he was “deeply concerned” by the order. “Education is a fundamental human right. A closed door to women’s education is a closed door to the future of Afghanistan.”

*Name has been changed for your safety.