Afghanistan's School Year Starts Without More Than 1 Million Girls Barred From Education By Taliban
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 March 2024
·
Afghanistan's School Year Starts
Without More Than 1 Million Girls Barred From Education By Taliban
·
Iranian-American Astronaut Jasmin
Moghbeli Celebrates Nowruz After First Space Mission
·
Norouz Tears And Hope: Iranians
Defy Regime With Demand For Change
·
Amnesty International Urges Taliban:
Stop Excuses, Open Girls’ Schools
Compiled by New Age Islam News
Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/girls-education-afghanistan-taliban/d/131971
------
Afghanistan's
school year starts without more than 1 million girls barred from education by
Taliban
A girl reads a book in her classroom on the first
day of the new school year (AP Photo)
-----
Mar 20, 2024
ISLAMABAD:
The school year in Afghanistan started Wednesday but without girls whom the
Taliban barred from attending classes beyond the sixth grade, making it the
only country with restrictions on female education.
The
UN children's agency says more than 1 million girls are affected by the ban. It
also estimates 5 million were out of school before the Taliban takeover due to
a lack of facilities and other reasons.
The
Taliban's education ministry marked the start of the new academic year with a
ceremony that female journalists were not allowed to attend. The invitations
sent out to reporters said: "Due to the lack of a suitable place for the
sisters, we apologize to female reporters." During a ceremony, the
Taliban's education minister, Habibullah Agha, said that the ministry is trying
"to increase the quality of education of religious and modern sciences as
much as possible." The Taliban have been prioritizing Islamic knowledge
over basic literacy and numeracy with their shift toward madrassas, or
religious schools.
The
minister also called on students to avoid wearing clothes that contradict
Islamic and Afghan principles.
Abdul
Salam Hanafi, the Taliban's deputy prime minister, said they were trying to
expand education in "all remote areas in the country."
The
Taliban previously said girls continuing their education went against their
strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, and that certain conditions
were needed for their return to school. However, they made no progress in
creating said conditions.
When
they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, they also banned girls' education.
Despite
initially promising a more moderate rule, the group has also barred women from
higher education, public spaces like parks, and most jobs as part of harsh
measures imposed after they took over following the withdrawal of US and Nato
forces from the country in 2021.
The
ban on girls' education remains the Taliban's biggest obstacle to gaining
recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
Although
Afghan boys have access to education, Human Rights Watch has criticized the
Taliban, saying their "abusive" educational policies are harming boys
as well as girls. The group, in a report published in December, said there has
been less attention to the deep harm inflicted on boys' education as qualified
teachers - including women - left, and inclusion of regressive curriculum
changes as well as an increase in corporal punishment have led to falling
attendance.
Source:
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/over-1-million-afghan-girls-out-of-school-as-new-school-year-begins-under-taliban-rule/articleshow/108643971.cms?pcode=461
------
Iranian-American
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Celebrates Nowruz After First Space Mission
American astronaut of Iranian descent Jasmin
Moghbeli
------
MARCH
21, 2024
Iranian-American
astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli celebrated Nowruz by sharing a photo of the Haftsin
table she took to space on her first mission to the space station last year.
She
said in an Instagram post, "I brought a Haftseen with me to @iss thinking
I might be there for Nowruz. It would have been unique to celebrate the Persian
New Year in space, but I am also very happy to be back home in time to
celebrate with my family!" Moghbeli led a crew that launched beyond the
atmosphere on a Space-X rocket on August 23, 2023, after NASA had scrubbed
launch plans a day earlier to resolve unspecified paperwork issues.
The
mission is Moghbeli's first trip into space – a dream come true for the US
Marines helicopter pilot and 40-year-old mother of twins who always knew she
wanted to be an astronaut.
Source:
iranwire.com
https://iranwire.com/en/women/126616-iranian-american-astronaut-marks-nowruz-after-first-space-mission/
---
Norouz
Tears And Hope: Iranians Defy Regime With Demand For Change
March
20, 2024
Iranian
opposition figures, dissidents, and families of perished protesters have issued
Norouz messages, expressing hope for the end of “the dark age” of the Islamic
Republic.
Their
defiant statements and widespread criticism of the clerical government stand in
contrast to far-fetched claims by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other
officials of having been able to control inflation and make progress on various
fronts.
Families
of victims commemorated Norouz (Nowruz) by honoring the memory of those killed
by security forces, gathering at the graves of their loved ones and issuing
messages calling for resistance and perseverance for freedom and justice in
Iran.
The
mother of Reza MoazamiGoudarzi, one of the victims of the November 2019
protests, wrote on Instagram that she is celebrating Norouz in memory of all
the heroes who have sacrificed their lives for freedom during 45 years of
Islamic rule. Goudarzi was shot in the back by security forces in November 2019
in Andisheh city, near the capital Tehran, and died at the age of 19 because
hospital staff refused to treat him in fear of government reprisal.
Regime’s
security forces and vigilante gunmen killed at least 1,500 citizens during a week
of anti-government protests in 2019.
The
father of Mehrshad Shahidi, another victim of the 2022 protests, released a
video saying that he will be at his son's grave on Wednesday with other family
members to celebrate Norouz.
The
parents of Mahsa Zhina Amini, also took to Instagram to welcome the new year by
honoring the memory of their daughter. Her death in the custody of morality
police in 2022 sparked the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement and
widespread protests in Iran that continue to this day. Taking a metaphorical
tone, her parents described spring as "liberation from the tyranny of
winter."
Quashing
the protests, government forces killed more than 550 people, including 68
children. The mother of Hananeh Kia, one of the victims, wrote in a message how
she is longing for her child and expressed hope for "bright days"
ahead. Hananeh Kia, 23, was shot and killed by government forces in September
2022, during the first week of the uprising.
MeysamPirfalak,
the father of Kian, a 9-year-old boy who became one of the icons of the
anti-regime revolt, also released a video message for Norouz. Kian was shot and
killed by government forces in November 2022, while he was in the family car
with his parents and younger brother on their way back home in Izeh, in southwestern
Iran.
In
addition to people in Iran, several opposition figures issued Norouz messages
almost with a similar theme, wishing an end to the Islamic Republic and the
freedom of the country.
Iran’s
exiled prince Reza Pahlavi and his mother, the last queen of Iran Farah
Pahlavi, in separate messages, emphasized the importance of Iranian unity and
solidarity “to overcome darkness.”
Reza
Pahlavi described the new year as a year of pragmatism, “a year of rolling up
sleeves of determination and putting on boots of resilience; a year of
overcoming obstacles and uniting for solutions; a year of advancing from hope
to belief; a year of launching a new plan."
He
expressed hope that light will prevail over darkness and Iran will regain its
past freedom and glory, saying, “For forty-five years, we have been in our long
winter night, but today even the guards of Zahhak (a tyrannical king in Iranian
mythology and a metaphor for Ali Khamenei) smell the scent of spring. The echo
of Iran's footsteps towards liberation has terrified their dark hearts."
Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei referred to the plight of recent flood victims in
his New Year address but emphasized that "the most tragic of all was the
tragedy that occurred in Gaza – an event that holds great importance in our
international affairs. We did not experience anything more tragic than that
this year.”
Iran-backed
Islamist group Hamas invaded Israel on October 7 and killed 1,200 mostly
civilians, taking 240 hostages. Israel's ongoing offensive to dismantle Hamas
has resulted in thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza.
Many
Iranians, however, oppose the regime’s support for Palestinians and other
extraterritorial causes, while Iran is becoming poorer and tens of millions
suffer as a result.
Despite
the dire economic situation, with inflation hovering at 50 percent and the
national currency in freefall, Khamenei claimed there was progress in the
country. "If growth in domestic production is pursued in a suitable
manner, many of the country’s key economic issues, such as inflation,
employment, and the value of our national currency, will be solved in a
desirable manner," he said.
Khamenei
also designated the new Iranian calendar year as the year of "Surge in
production through people's participation." He has been designating
slogans for each year in the past 35 years, with most of the slogans focusing
on economic growth which has hardly materialized. Iranian officials and
organizations try to portray their activities as if they are in line with the
Khamenei-designated motto. President Ebrahim Raisi delivered a New Year
address, boasting that despite projections, the country's inflation rate did
not surpass 100 percent.
Source:
iranintl.com
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202403204148
---
Amnesty
International urges Taliban: Stop excuses, open girls’ schools
Fidel
Rahmati
March 21, 2024
The
International Amnesty Organization, simultaneous with the start of schools,
stated that Afghan girls demand the immediate reopening of all girls’ schools.
The
International Amnesty Organization has called for the immediate reopening of
girls’ schools in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban to refrain from using
“empty excuses” to continue the ban on girls’ education.
The
organization stated that the Taliban’s reasons for banning girls’ education are
“empty excuses for further discrimination in Afghanistan.”
The
organization said on its social media platform X on Wednesday that it had
surveyed the opinions of Afghan girls on the ban on education beyond the sixth
grade. One girl said, “Her dreams are shattered.” Another student told the
organization that “she has lost all hope.”
The
Taliban has stated that the conditions they envision for reopening schools and
universities are not suitable for all girls. Taliban officials, close to three
years into their return to power, have remained silent or made ambiguous
statements about the reopening the schools and universities for girls.
Critics
argue that depriving girls of education is part of the Taliban’s policies to
isolate women and severely restrict their rights. They say that the Taliban has
imposed “gender apartheid” in Afghanistan.
As
the Taliban solidifies its control over Afghanistan, the humanitarian crisis in
the country worsens. With infrastructure crumbling and essential services disrupted,
millions are at risk of starvation and disease. Humanitarian organizations
struggle to provide aid amidst security concerns and logistical challenges.
The
ban on girls’ schools since the Taliban takeover has led to a generation of
girls deprived of education, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.
The
denial of education not only stifles individual opportunities but also hampers
the nation’s socio-economic development, exacerbating its already dire
circumstances. International pressure mounts for the Taliban to reverse its
discriminatory policies and ensure equal access to education for all Afghan
children.
Source:
khaama.com
https://www.khaama.com/amnesty-international-urges-taliban-stop-excuses-open-girls-schools/
----
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/girls-education-afghanistan-taliban/d/131971