The Taliban* has fired back at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) after it criticized the interim Afghan government’s decision to bar girls from secondary and higher educational institutions.
“The international community should continue its cooperation with Afghans and not interfere in Afghanistan's internal affairs,” Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement on Thursday evening.
Mujahid further stated that the OIC's “concerns” regarding Afghanistan are “understandable”, adding that Kabul is taking steps to “resolve this issue”.
At the same time, Mujahid noted that Afghanistan wants to have a “close understanding” with the OIC as well as other international organizations on the issue.
OIC to Send Delegation to Afghanistan
The statement came a day after the OIC convened an extraordinary meeting at their headquarters in Jeddah to discuss the interim Afghan authority's decision to deprive women of educational and employment opportunities.
The OIC statement termed the Taliban’s latest move as a “violation of the purposes of Islamic law”, noting that female education is a “fundamental right” under Sharia, or Islamic, law.
The OIC’s secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha told the meeting that the group would send a delegation of Islamic scholars to Afghanistan to discuss the “basic rights” of Afghan women and girls.
The Taliban, which returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, last year barred girls from attending secondary schools in the country. The group has also banned women from attending universities and other higher educational institutes.
In December, a decree by the Taliban banned women from working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Previously, the interim Afghan authorities also introduced other restrictions on the free movement of women in public spaces.
*under UN sanctions for terrorist activities