Women And Girls Face New Restrictions

Taliban says women at university must study separately, sparking concerns over more measures to come

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen

The Taliban has announced that women in Afghanistan will only be allowed to study at university in sex-segregated classrooms and Islamic dress will be compulsory, stoking fears that a gender apartheid will be imposed on the country under the new regime.

The international community has been keeping a close watch on how the new, all-male, Taliban regime is treating Afghan women in order to gauge just how much the Taliban’s pledges of moderation are a reality.

In one of the first policies announced by the Taliban, the higher education minister, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, laid out rules that will govern women’s access to higher education. At a press conference, Haqqani said women would be allowed to continue their university education, but it would be compulsory to wear a hijab. It was unclear if this meant a headscarf or if women’s faces would have to be covered completely.

Segregation would also be enforced at all universities, meaning men and women would have to be taught in separate classrooms. “We will not allow boys and girls to study together,” said Haqqani. Female students will only be allowed to be taught by women.