The Taliban Government Must Rethink Its Strategy And Permit Girls To Attend Schools And Colleges
By
Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
27 December
2022
Denying
Women Access To Education Is Equivalent To Denying Them The Privilege That
Islam Bestows Upon Them
Main
Points:
1. The Taliban
leadership has actually erected a huge impediment to women's growth by banning
them from attending schools and colleges.
2. Islam's
stand on education is clear. Every Muslim man and woman must receive an
education. And one should go as far as China to acquire knowledge and
education.
3. The Holy
Prophet personally provided unique measures for the upbringing and training of
women.
4. The most
excellent example of a role model in terms of knowledge and education is Hazrat
Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her).
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Female students in front of the Kabul
Education University
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Women are
banned from private and public universities in Afghanistan with immediate
effect and until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said. This
raises the question of whether the Taliban were acting hypocritically when
their leaders promised to give women and girls their rightful place in society
and to permit girls to attend schools and colleges. The Taliban promised so
when it came to power again in August 2021 but who realised at the time that it
was a hollow promise?
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Read: Taliban's
Retrograde Steps Removing Women From Public Life
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Now that
the Taliban have publicly admitted to their covert behaviour, their
identification and appearance have once more raised the question of whether
this is happening because Islam forbids girls from attending education. The
answer is unambiguous: Islam does not forbid girls from receiving an education.
However, some so-called Ulama, particularly those who adhere to Talibani's
thought, want to spread the idea that since Islam forbids girls from attending
schools and colleges, they should as well. Recently, the Taliban in Afghanistan
have implemented this idea.
The
decision of the Taliban to ban girls from attending schools and universities
may have been motivated by a very small number of Ulama in the recent past.
They contend that girls should only be barred from secular education and not
from the fundamentals of religious education. In contrast to them, the majority
of Ulama today, especially those in India, favour education for girls
regardless of the distinction between religious and secular education. The
reality can be verified by compiling a report on the number of female students
who attend colleges and institutions who are the daughters and sisters of
Ulama. Although I am unable to give you a precise count, I am aware that many
daughters and sisters of Indian Ulama attend colleges and universities.
It should
be mentioned that attending college is neither obligatory by law nor forced
upon Muslim girls in India. The legislation gives them the freedom to decide
whether or not to pursue their education. However, India is delighted to
declare that it extends a warm welcome to those of them who are enrolled in
schools, colleges, or universities.
Indian
Ulama send their daughters to schools and other educational institutions by
utilising the freedom of education. This demonstrates that they are acting in
this manner since attending schools and universities is not against Islam for
Muslim girls. If Islam had prohibited girls from attending schools, they would
not have sent their daughters there. It goes without saying that they intend
for this act to convey the message that Islam does not forbid girls from
receiving an education, regardless of the distinction between religious and
secular education.
The primary
distinction between religious education and secular education made by Muslim
Ulama from all over the world is that the former is a religious requirement of
every Muslim man and woman, whereas the latter can only be described as a case
of worldly necessity and not as a matter of religious obligation. According to
a Hadith, knowledge is a requirement for every Muslim man and woman. Although
the Hadith does not explicitly distinguish between religious knowledge and
modern education, some Ulama interpret the Hadith to mean that only religious
knowledge is subject to the obligation, and that modern knowledge is excluded
from this obligation.
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Also
Read: Finally Women's
Education Is Totally Banned In Afghanistan By Taliban
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Islam's
stand on education is clear. Every Muslim man and woman must receive an
education. And one should go as far as China to acquire knowledge and
education. Islam has also made its stand on purdah (veil) clear. Girls are
permitted to attend schools and colleges in Muslim countries. But the Taliban
leadership in Afghanistan has adopted a different strategy from that of other
Muslim countries and has gone so far as to ban girls from attending school,
despite the fact that Islam does not ban it. The Taliban have chosen a
different route than Islam in this way.
The Taliban
leadership has actually erected a huge impediment to women's growth by banning
them from attending schools and colleges. Islam has been based on a number of
important pillars, and knowledge is one of them. Knowledge is important for
both men and women. Islam places a high value on education, as shown by the
fact that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the command to
"read" in his first revelation. More than 500 times in the Holy
Qur'an, the importance and value of knowledge have been emphasised. One of the
core duties of prophethood was, in fact, to impart knowledge and insight. Allah
Almighty says in the Quran:
“Just as We have sent among you a messenger
from yourselves reciting to you Our verses and purifying you and teaching you
the Book and wisdom and teaching you that which you did not know.” (2:151)
“He is the One Who sent a (Glorious) Messenger
(blessings and peace be upon him) amongst the illiterate people from amongst
themselves who recites to them His Revelations and cleanses and purifies them
(outwardly and inwardly) and teaches them the Book and wisdom. Indeed, they
were in open error before (his most welcome arrival). (62:2)
Fundamentally
speaking, Islamic Shariah maintains that when a commandment is revealed, the
female gender is also included in that commandment, even if the masculine form
of the term is used. If this premise is rejected, the core principles of Islam,
such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and almsgiving, will no longer be
applicable to women. Therefore, even if God Almighty and the Holy Prophet
(peace be upon him) describe the majority of the commandments using the male
form of the phrase, women are nevertheless required to follow those
instructions.
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Also
Read: Taliban Bans Women
from Universities: Why it’s not Surprising
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The Holy
Qur'an and hadiths make it clear that the acquisition of knowledge is required
of women in the same way that it is of males. The Holy Prophet personally
provided unique measures for the upbringing and training of women, according to
the study of his life.
According
to a Hadith reported by Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, some women said to the Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him): "men have gone ahead of us (in terms of
acquisition of knowledge). Choose a specific day so that we can also gain from
it. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) reserved one day for them. He would
meet them on that day, offer advice, and educate them regarding the rules of
Allah Almighty. (Sahih Bukhari)
The most
excellent example of a role model in terms of knowledge and education is Hazrat
Ayesha (may
Allah be pleased with her), the mother of believers and one of the beloved
wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She was a significant
source of knowledge about the Prophet’s life, personality, actions, and
beliefs. She was so close to the beloved Prophet that the companions of the
Prophet would come to her and ask her for guidance on a range of issues. She
reportedly made contributions to exegesis (Tafsir), Hadith literature,
jurisprudence (Fiqh), and theology. She significantly advanced Islamic
knowledge, but her contributions to other areas of knowledge are also important
and should not be disregarded. She had literary, poetic, oratory, teaching, and
some medical skills in addition to her other talents. She had a profound impact
on the way that knowledge was shared among Muslims. She is an inspiration to
Muslim women because of her enormous contributions to many different
disciplines of knowledge.
The Taliban
government needs to quickly change course and permit girls to attend schools
and colleges. I believe that denying women the right to education means denying
them the chance to learn from Hazrat Ayesha how to succeed in knowledge and
education.
----
A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam
Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and
English-Arabic-Urdu Translator.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/taliban-strategy-girls-schools-colleges/d/128725
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