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The Battle Over Education in Afghanistan Is Decades Old and Still Only Heating Up
Today, the battle to open and close schools is as fierce as ever, and it is far from over, even if the Taliban thinks so.
With the Taliban’s ban on female education, the ongoing battle over closing and opening school doors in Afghanistan is far from over, but only heating up.
In a speech at the reopening of Kabul University in 1993, in the midst of a bitter civil war, Abdul Ali Mazari, founder of the Hezb-e-Wahdat political party, spoke out on a conundrum that had been occupying his mind for some time. He quoted four famous Hadis (sayings) of Mohammad, the Islamic prophet, who had emphasized the importance of education for all, including women. Then, he claimed to be puzzled that, despite those words, the majority of Muslim clerics still opposed school and university education, especially for females.
Ali Mazari was speaking not long after the Jihad against the USSR’s attempted occupation of Afghanistan, that saw some mujaheddin resistance commanders kill government-paid teachers and close down schools in the areas they controlled.
Today, the battle to open and close schools is as fierce as ever, as the Taliban de facto government implemented a total…
