Thousands of happy girls from all over Afghanistan gathered at educational institutions on Wednesday – the date set by the Ministry of Education for the resumption of classes. However, just hours before the first day, the ministry announced a reversal of the political shock that left young people saying they felt betrayed and foreign governments expressing their anger. “Open the schools! Justice, justice! ” Protesters shouted, some holding textbooks, as they gathered in a town square in Kabul. They held up banners reading “Education is our fundamental right, not a political plan” as they marched for a short distance and later disbanded as the Taliban arrived. The protest was the first by women in recent weeks since the Taliban rallied in the wake of the initial protests that took place after they returned to power in August. The Islamists have not given a clear reason for their decision, which came after a meeting late Tuesday with senior officials in the southern city of Kandahar, the Taliban’s de facto center of power and spiritual home. This was followed by months of work by some foreign countries on a plan to support the payment of teachers’ salaries. Secondary school girls in Afghanistan have been out of school for more than seven months. “Even the Prophet (Muhammad) said that everyone has the right to education, but the Taliban deprived us of that right,” said a girl, Nawesa, at the rally, which was organized by two women’s rights groups. “The Taliban can not oppress Afghan women,” said another protester, Laila Basim. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have withheld two decades of profits from the country’s women, who have been squeezed from many government posts, barred from traveling alone and ordered to dress according to a strict interpretation. Koran. . The Taliban had promised a softer version of the hardline Islamist rule that marked their first term in office from 1996 to 2001. However, many restrictions are still in place – if not nationally, then they apply locally in the capacity of regional officials. Some Afghans initially pushed back against Taliban restrictions, staging small demonstrations demanding the right to education and employment. But the Taliban soon rallied the leaders, holding them on hold while denying they had been taken into custody. Since their release, most have been silent.
