Kabul: Afghan women wearing full-face masks sat in queues at Kabul University’s lecture theater on Saturday, pledging their commitment. TalibanStrict policies on gender discrimination.
About 300 women – covered from head to toe in accordance with strict new dress policies for education – waved Taliban flags as speakers raised their voices against the West and expressed support for Islamist policies.
A handful wore blue burqas with only a small mesh window for viewing, but most wore black niqabs covering most of the face except for the eyes.
Many also wore black gloves.
Women’s rights were sharply curtailed in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule, but since returning to power last month they have claimed they would impose a less extreme rule.
The Taliban’s education authority has said that this time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are separated by sex or at least by a veil.
They should also wear abaya robe and niqab.
Organizers said the women were students, listening to a series of speeches at the Shaheed Rabbani Education University in the capital, Kabul.
Large Taliban flags were waved on the podium as female speakers criticized women who have held protests across Afghanistan in recent days.
He also defended the new government Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which has banned demonstrations, unless permitted Ministry of Justice.
Dawood Haqqani, Director of Foreign Relations Ministry of Education, said the protest was organized by women, who had sought permission to perform and were given permission.
“We are against women who are protesting on the streets, claiming that they are women’s representatives,” said the first speaker, covered from head to toe.
He claimed, “Does the previous government have the freedom to like? No, it is not freedom. The previous government was misusing women. They were recruiting women just by their beauty.”
Some in the audience had children who occasionally cried during speeches, while other young girls were apparently too young for university.
a student named Shabnam Omri Told the crowd that he agreed with the Taliban’s policy that women should cover their heads.
“Those who are not wearing the hijab are harming all of us,” she said, referring to the scarves worn by many Muslim women.
“The hijab is not a personal thing.”
Omari concluded his speech by leading a chorus of “Allahu Akbar” or “God is the greatest”.
another speaker, somaiyaSaid that history has changed since the Taliban came back.
“After this we will not see ‘Bihijabi’,” he said.
After this women will be safe. We are supporting our government with all our might.
After speeches in the meeting hall, women walked out in organized lines some distance into the street, holding printed banners and accompanying Taliban soldiers with rifles and machine guns.
The public demonstration was a stark contrast to scenes from earlier weeks in Kabul and elsewhere, when Taliban fighters opened fire in the air to disperse several protests against their regime, killing two.
“Women leaving Afghanistan can’t represent us,” said a Taliban supporters Read the banner on Saturday.
“We are satisfied with the attitude and behavior of the Mujahideen (Taliban)” read another.
The Taliban say they want to distance themselves from the harsh policies of the past, when half the population was left out of work and education.
Under the new rules, women can “work according to the principles of” Islam“, the Taliban have ruled, but there have been few details yet as to what it might actually mean.
About 300 women – covered from head to toe in accordance with strict new dress policies for education – waved Taliban flags as speakers raised their voices against the West and expressed support for Islamist policies.
A handful wore blue burqas with only a small mesh window for viewing, but most wore black niqabs covering most of the face except for the eyes.
Many also wore black gloves.
Women’s rights were sharply curtailed in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s 1996-2001 rule, but since returning to power last month they have claimed they would impose a less extreme rule.
The Taliban’s education authority has said that this time, women will be allowed to attend university as long as classes are separated by sex or at least by a veil.
They should also wear abaya robe and niqab.
Organizers said the women were students, listening to a series of speeches at the Shaheed Rabbani Education University in the capital, Kabul.
Large Taliban flags were waved on the podium as female speakers criticized women who have held protests across Afghanistan in recent days.
He also defended the new government Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which has banned demonstrations, unless permitted Ministry of Justice.
Dawood Haqqani, Director of Foreign Relations Ministry of Education, said the protest was organized by women, who had sought permission to perform and were given permission.
“We are against women who are protesting on the streets, claiming that they are women’s representatives,” said the first speaker, covered from head to toe.
He claimed, “Does the previous government have the freedom to like? No, it is not freedom. The previous government was misusing women. They were recruiting women just by their beauty.”
Some in the audience had children who occasionally cried during speeches, while other young girls were apparently too young for university.
a student named Shabnam Omri Told the crowd that he agreed with the Taliban’s policy that women should cover their heads.
“Those who are not wearing the hijab are harming all of us,” she said, referring to the scarves worn by many Muslim women.
“The hijab is not a personal thing.”
Omari concluded his speech by leading a chorus of “Allahu Akbar” or “God is the greatest”.
another speaker, somaiyaSaid that history has changed since the Taliban came back.
“After this we will not see ‘Bihijabi’,” he said.
After this women will be safe. We are supporting our government with all our might.
After speeches in the meeting hall, women walked out in organized lines some distance into the street, holding printed banners and accompanying Taliban soldiers with rifles and machine guns.
The public demonstration was a stark contrast to scenes from earlier weeks in Kabul and elsewhere, when Taliban fighters opened fire in the air to disperse several protests against their regime, killing two.
“Women leaving Afghanistan can’t represent us,” said a Taliban supporters Read the banner on Saturday.
“We are satisfied with the attitude and behavior of the Mujahideen (Taliban)” read another.
The Taliban say they want to distance themselves from the harsh policies of the past, when half the population was left out of work and education.
Under the new rules, women can “work according to the principles of” Islam“, the Taliban have ruled, but there have been few details yet as to what it might actually mean.
.