Taliban's Ban on Women's Education and Work Draws International Criticism

Afghan religious scholars have criticized the ban on female education, with one scholar stating that knowledge is obligatory in Islam for men and women, and Islam allows women to study. The Taliban have banned girls from classrooms, and women are barred from public spaces and most forms of employment. The bans have raised fierce international uproar, increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed and worsened a humanitarian crisis. The education restrictions are presented as temporary suspensions, but universities and schools reopened in March without their female students.