Taliban’s Policy Toward Women & Girls Not Islamic, Says Russian Ambassador

Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, has said that the Taliban justifies its policies towards Afghan women and girls with Islamic principles, but they are "not Islamic”.

On Monday, the Russian ambassador stated at the United Nations that Moscow discussed issues concerning Afghan women and girls with the Taliban, but the group has its own views about women and girls, which he does not agree with.

Nebenzya said that the reality is that they are dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan, and that the group justifies its policies towards women and girls based on Islamic norms that are actually not Islamic.

The Russian ambassador said that the Taliban do not listen to the leaders and heads of Islamic countries who want to explain to them the rights of women and girls in Islam. He said, "That is the point. That is the problem."

The Taliban have asked world countries to refrain from commenting on women's education and employment in Afghanistan, as they consider it interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs.

Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban’s spokesperson, warned countries at the third Doha meeting that reopening girls' schools would create a crisis in the country again. However, he did not explain his point.

According to statistics from the previous government's Ministry of Education, before the government's collapse, at least 36 percent of the millions of students in Afghanistan were girls.