Preacher Zakir Naik justified restrictions on girls’ education — NDTV

Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik publicly justified restrictions on girls’ access to secondary and higher education in Afghanistan. In a video circulating on social media, he said that the media allegedly misrepresent the situation in the country, NDTV World reports.

Naik claimed that the Taliban administration had not banned education for girls, but had only postponed schooling in senior grades and higher education institutions until safe conditions are established. According to him, primary education is open through the sixth grade, while further education has been suspended due to a shortage of female teachers and a safe environment. He also said that Afghan women are earning master’s and doctoral degrees in Islamic studies and Sharia.

Criticism of the preacher’s statements

Pakistani education activist and Malala Yousafzai’s father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, called these words deeply troubling and disappointing. He noted that portraying an indefinite ban as a postponement and citing a lack of female teachers are not convincing justifications.

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Former Afghan parliamentarian Mariam Suleman Khil, who is in exile, responded ironically to Naik’s arguments. She drew attention to his claim about a shortage of female teachers, noting that the Taliban had restricted female teachers from working.

UNICEF data on girls’ education

According to UNICEF, since September 2021, more than 2.6 million Afghan girls have had no access to secondary education. The organization says Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education are effectively closed to girls and women.