Malala Yousafzai has called on Muslim leaders to oppose the Taliban’s repressive policies against girls and women in Afghanistan. Speaking at an international summit in Pakistan on girls’ education in Islamic countries, Malala criticized the Taliban for implementing gender apartheid and denying women basic human rights.
“There is nothing Islamic about the Taliban’s policies,” she said, referring to restrictions barring girls and women from education and work. The Nobel laureate, who survived a Taliban attack in 2012 for advocating girls’ education, highlighted that Afghanistan remains the only country where girls are banned from schooling beyond grade six.
Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has justified its policies using cultural and religious arguments but has yet to fulfill promises of reopening schools for girls. Women have also been barred from training as midwives and nurses, eliminating pathways to higher education.
The summit, organized by the OIC, Pakistan, and the Muslim World League, included ministers and scholars advocating for girls’ education. However, the Taliban government declined to attend.
Malala also spotlighted girls’ education crises in other countries like Gaza, Yemen, and Sudan, urging leaders to address violations and protect girls’ futures.
