Taliban fighters are showing off their new arsenal of weapons as protests continue across Afghanistan over the ban on girls going back to school. Images show militants with their swan-themed vessels in the water at Band – e Amir National Park, a hotspot for international and domestic tourists.
Situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes. They were once home to some ancient Buddhist sculptures that the Taliban destroyed in 2001.
Just one month after overtaking the country’s capital Kabul, Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the ‘propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice’ in the building that once housed the Women’s Affairs Ministry. As a result, they are now facing protests over the treatment of women and girls.
The new Taliban rulers in Afghanistan have told female employees to stay at home with work only allowed for those who cannot be replaced by men, according to the country’s interim mayor. The Taliban’s decision to prevent female city workers from returning to their jobs is another sign that they are enforcing their harsh interpretation of Islam in spite of promises by some Afghan leaders who said the group would be tolerant and inclusive.
The Taliban has once again broken its promise and excluded girls from returning to secondary school. They ordered all boys, as well as male teachers back into the classroom – despite promises that they would bring about “a less severe” brand of a rule than what was seen in previous decades. Even during their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, women under Taliban oppression were not granted basic human rights to education and public life.
“All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions.” the education ministry last Friday demanded. It made no mention of female teachers or pupils.
The Afghan people have banded together in solidarity, with women and children standing up for their rights. Boys are also refusing to attend classes. One boy was pictured holding up an inspirational sign that says, “We don’t go to school without our sisters.” The Afghans are sending a powerful message with their support for the child in that post. One person said, “Education is the right of every Afghan. We hope that the Taliban will allow our sisters to open schools as well.”
The closure of secondary schools in Afghanistan has been due to the coronavirus pandemic and since the Taliban took over. Primary schools have reopened with boys and girls mostly attending separate classes. Some female teachers are going back to work too. The recent changes in the country have allowed women to attend private universities, but with harsh restrictions on their clothes and movements.
On Friday, it was reported that workers had raised a sign for the Ministry of Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (PV & VP) at Kabul’s Women Affairs building. Social media videos gave a glimpse into the protests of female ministry workers after they lost their jobs. The new ministry has not yet decided whether or not they are going to have a women’s ministry.
The United Nations has spoken out against the future of girls’ schooling in Afghanistan, noting that they are ‘deeply worried’.
The UN believes this will be an issue for years to come if nothing changes. The UN’s children’s agency UNICEF said ‘It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching.””
The Taliban were hit by three explosions in Jalalabad on Saturday, killing at least two people and wounding 20 more. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but it is likely that the militants from Islamic State are responsible for this attack. The Taliban are facing the challenge of governing Afghanistan while also fighting against IS militants.
A new sign was up outside the women’s affairs ministry in Kabul, It is now called the ‘Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.’
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