The Taliban’s War on Afghan Girls Rages On – Inside Sources

Children in a boys and girls school in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Stacey Haga, May 23, 2011)

Five years ago, Taliban leaders told most female students in Afghanistan to stay home. In the Taliban’s tyrannical version of the country, schools were not ready for them.

They claimed to need time and space to prepare “appropriate” conditions.

More than 1,800 days later, when probed about schooling for female students, the Taliban’s answer remains the same: “Now is not the time.”

This isn’t a more tolerant Taliban 2.0. They never were. This is the same evil Taliban. And this isn’t just about the right to learn. It’s about global security and ideological influence. It’s a carbon copy of the Taliban’s 1990s blueprint.

Subjugating female Afghans and denying access to quality education have always been fundamental to their pursuit of power and control.  That should motivate every elected leader who prioritizes counterterrorism to get serious about the Taliban’s assault on women and children.

The Taliban claim that inclusive education is contrary to Afghan culture and Islamic teachings. This is false, according to historians, Islamic scholars and the leaders of other Muslim-majority countries. They agree that the exclusion of female students from in-person school is not justified — ever.

It’s also illogical.

In a country where most of the population is food insecure, children are dying of preventable and treatable illnesses, and poverty is widespread, the Taliban continue to intentionally withhold one of the most effective drivers of development and stability: female education.

When given access to learn, female and male Afghan students have repeatedly shown the unparalleled power of quality education to save lives, create livelihoods, and advance well-being for all. From 2001 to 2021, education tremendously helped move Afghanistan forward.

Critical thinking built resistance. Learning strengthened confidence. Knowledge was power. Know-how forged opportunity.

This was all good for Afghanistan (and the world). That’s why the Taliban’s actions are so concerning. Their education ban isn’t customary. It is a draconian attempt to oppress and indoctrinate — and not just women and girls.

The Taliban are also co-opting Afghanistan’s educational infrastructure to expand their extremist mindset to all young Afghans.

Madrassas aligned with the Taliban’s twisted version of faith have replaced secular schools. Unqualified educators lead classrooms. Jihadi madrassas have grown in numbers. Corporal punishment is commonplace. And propaganda-fueled curriculum is the new required standard, stoking bias and hatred of Western values.

For five years, this indoctrination has continued unchecked. Worse still, individual countries, international organizations and private-sector institutions have abetted this abuse.

Taliban ministers regularly smile alongside international officials in photos snapped during bilateral meetings or high-profile events. Their “diplomats” have not only taken control of a growing number of Afghan missions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, but their global peers are engaging with them. In August alone, a slew of diplomatic officials joined Taliban diplomats to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the international withdrawal — ornate décor and ice sculptures included.

Though the global community claims a posture of nonrecognition, public and private officials at the national and regional levels are pursuing engagement on trade, transportation, immigration, defense, agriculture, and even education and sports. Never mind that female Afghans are excluded from publicly engaging in these and many more areas.

No wonder the Taliban have only become more brutal. There have been few, if any, consequences for their behavior.

This needs to change.

Targeted sanctions against Taliban officials must be fully enforced and strengthened. Most Taliban officials (including cabinet members) are not subject to any form of targeted sanctions.  This includes Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. Additional tools — such as the Global Magnitsky Act — have yet to be universally utilized to pressure those responsible for Gender Apartheid and other human rights abuses. This is a misstep.

Those who enable the Taliban’s behavior should also be held accountable. This includes U.N. members hosting sanctioned Talibs without travel ban exemptions.

These nations are rarely, if ever, penalized for their actions. This must stop.

The United States and others must prioritize support for female education in Afghanistan. On the front lines, brave individuals and organizations continue to step up to fill the void in schooling, often via underground or virtual classrooms. They cannot and should not be tasked with doing it alone.

Every student, every lesson, every classroom that persists is a direct challenge to the Taliban’s broader goals of ideological expansion. Simply put: support for girls’ education in Afghanistan is smart security policy.

It’s time to be frank about the last five years. The Taliban should face designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the ministries they exploit should be named as primary money laundering concerns under section 311 of the USA Patriot Act.

The situation in Afghanistan isn’t easy — Afghans know that better than anyone. It doesn’t absolve the global community of its responsibility to push back.

The topic of girls’ and women’s education will always be inconvenient for the Taliban. That’s exactly why it must be a priority for the rest of the world.