Afghanistan minister defends ban on women at universities

Kabul, December 22

The minister of higher education in the Taliban government on Thursday defended his decision to ban women from universities — a decree that has triggered a global backlash.

Discussing the matter for the first time in public, Nida Mohammad Nadim said the ban issued earlier this week was necessary to ensure segregation of genders in universities and because he believed some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam. He said the ban was in place until further notice.

In an interview with Afghan television, Nadim pushed back against the widespread international condemnation, including from Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.

He said foreigners should stop interfering in Afghanistan’s internal affairs even as G7 foreign ministers urged the Taliban to rescind the ban, warning that “gender persecution may amount to crime against humanity”. — AP