Reactions to Abbas Stanikzai's Recent Criticism of Taliban Policies on Women

On Saturday (January 18), during a graduation ceremony for students of a religious school in Khost province, Stanikzai strongly condemned the Taliban's decision to close schools and universities to girls, deeming the policy to lack any basis in Islamic law.

According to Stanikzai, these prohibitions are merely the personal views of Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban's leader, and contradict Islamic principles.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, described Stanikzai's remarks as an encouraging development and welcomed the statements. He emphasized that this issue could be a positive development.

Reuters called Stanikzai's comments one of the harshest public criticisms of the Taliban’s policies, which have contributed to the group's international isolation. Similarly, CNN labeled it as a "rare public criticism of the Taliban leader's policies."

Ibraheem Bahiss, a South Asia analyst at the Crisis Group, noted that this speech went beyond Stanikzai’s previous criticisms, stating that he openly called for changes in Taliban policies and questioned the legitimacy of the current approach.

In his speech, Stanikzai urged the Taliban leadership to reopen schools and universities for girls, emphasizing that "there has never been, and still is no, justification or reason for this." He also labeled the restrictions on women as "contrary to Islamic law," candidly stating that these measures stem from the "nature" of the Taliban rather than Islamic principles.

Stanikzai further highlighted the dire conditions faced by women in Afghanistan, denouncing the injustice and oppression against them. He remarked, "Out of Afghanistan's 40 million population, we are being unjust to 20 million [women]. Will we not be held accountable to them on the Day of Judgment?"

He also addressed global criticism of the Taliban’s policies, noting that "the entire world is in conflict with us and criticizing us because of this. We are on a path dictated by our nature, not by Islamic law."

It is worth mentioning that this is not the first time Abbas Stanikzai has criticized the Taliban’s ban on girls' education. He has previously voiced objections on this matter.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have closed girls' schools above the sixth grade and banned girls and women from attending universities. They have also prohibited women from working in government institutions and non-governmental organizations, imposing unprecedented and extensive restrictions on women. According to Taliban orders, women are not allowed to engage in sports or visit recreational areas and parks. Additionally, the Taliban consider women's voices as "awrah" (something to be concealed) and have deemed them forbidden.