Now, Taliban rulers ban women from working for domestic, foreign NGOs

Kabul, Dec 24: The Taliban government in Afghanistan on Saturday ordered all foreign and domestic non-governmental groups to suspend employing women, the religious group's latest edict cracking down on women's rights and freedoms since they took power more than a year ago.

The order came in a letter from Economy Minister Qari Din Mohammed Hanif, which said that any NGO found not complying with the order will have their operating license revoked in Afghanistan. The contents of the letter were confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday by ministry spokesman, Abdul Rahman Habib.

Earlier this week, the Taliban rulers had announced a ban on female students studying in universities effective immediately and until further notice. They have yet to publicly speak about the ban or react to the global backlash against it, although a spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, Ziaullah Hashmi, said in a tweet on Thursday that a news conference would be held this week to explain the move.

Going by the media reports, the Taliban fighters are threatening the women with guns to deter them from entering the universities and resuming classes. This has triggered shock, panic and anxiety among the female students who fear they would not be able to complete their education anymore.

Discussing the matter for the first time in public, Nida Mohammad Nadim said said he issued the decree earlier this week to avoid the mixing of genders in universities and because he believes some subjects being taught violated the principles of Islam.

Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021. In March, the Taliban barred girls from going to secondary schools.

Women are also banned from parks and gyms. At the same time, Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades.