The head of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, Habtullah Akhundzada, has ordered a ban on girls’ schools and religious education in madrassas during a cabinet meeting.

According to a report by Afghanistan International, two Taliban ministers said that the Taliban emir said in a cabinet meeting two weeks ago that it is not permissible for women to attend madrassas for religious education according to Islamic law.

The ministers further said that the Taliban emir, Habtullah Akhundzada, took the position that women were not allowed to attend mosques even during the Third Caliphate, so this practice cannot be considered correct.

Another minister confirmed that several cabinet members were deeply disappointed by the Taliban emir’s statement, but no one dared to disagree with him.

A source from Kandahar told Afghanistan International that so far no minister has had the courage to present an argument against the emir’s position.

The cabinet ministers further said that many leaders and scholars of the Taliban government were expecting girls’ schools to reopen this year, but are now declaring religious education unacceptable.

According to a minister, this stance of the Taliban emir is contrary to the clear teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. Religious education is obligatory for all Muslims, both men and women.

Another Taliban official warned that if the restrictions on women continue, Afghanistan could once again become a battlefield for warlords.

The news has not yet been confirmed or denied by the Afghan Taliban government. The activities of the Taliban emir, such as chairing meetings, are kept secret anyway.

It should be remembered that the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in mid-August 2021 and the then President Ashraf Ghani fled.

Since then, women and girls in Afghanistan have been banned from attending secondary education, universities and private educational institutions.

On the other hand, global powers have made the restoration of Afghanistan’s frozen assets and financial aid conditional on women’s jobs in the country and girls’ education.