The Taliban Government Must Rethink Its Strategy And Permit Girls To Attend Schools And Colleges

By Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam 27 December 2022 Denying Women Access To Education Is Equivalent To Denying Them The Privilege That Islam Bestows Upon Them Main Points: 1. The Taliban leadership has actually erected a huge impediment to women's growth by banning them from attending schools and colleges. 2. Islam's stand on education is clear. Every Muslim man and woman must receive an education. And one should go as far as China to acquire knowledge and education. 3. The Holy Prophet personally provided unique measures for the upbringing and training of women. 4. The most excellent example of a role model in terms of knowledge and education is Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her). ------ Female students in front of the Kabul Education University ---- Women are banned from private and public universities in Afghanistan with immediate effect and until further notice, a Taliban government spokesman said. This raises the question of whether the Taliban were acting hypocritically when their leaders promised to give women and girls their rightful place in society and to permit girls to attend schools and colleges. The Taliban promised so when it came to power again in August 2021 but who realised at the time that it was a hollow promise? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Taliban's Retrograde Steps Removing Women From Public Life ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that the Taliban have publicly admitted to their covert behaviour, their identification and appearance have once more raised the question of whether this is happening because Islam forbids girls from attending education. The answer is unambiguous: Islam does not forbid girls from receiving an education. However, some so-called Ulama, particularly those who adhere to Talibani's thought, want to spread the idea that since Islam forbids girls from attending schools and colleges, they should as well. Recently, the Taliban in Afghanistan have implemented this idea. The decision of the Taliban to ban girls from attending schools and universities may have been motivated by a very small number of Ulama in the recent past. They contend that girls should only be barred from secular education and not from the fundamentals of religious education. In contrast to them, the majority of Ulama today, especially those in India, favour education for girls regardless of the distinction between religious and secular education. The reality can be verified by compiling a report on the number of female students who attend colleges and institutions who are the daughters and sisters of Ulama. Although I am unable to give you a precise count, I am aware that many daughters and sisters of Indian Ulama attend colleges and universities. It should be mentioned that attending college is neither obligatory by law nor forced upon Muslim girls in India. The legislation gives them the freedom to decide whether or not to pursue their education. However, India is delighted to declare that it extends a warm welcome to those of them who are enrolled in schools, colleges, or universities. Indian Ulama send their daughters to schools and other educational institutions by utilising the freedom of education. This demonstrates that they are acting in this manner since attending schools and universities is not against Islam for Muslim girls. If Islam had prohibited girls from attending schools, they would not have sent their daughters there. It goes without saying that they intend for this act to convey the message that Islam does not forbid girls from receiving an education, regardless of the distinction between religious and secular education. The primary distinction between religious education and secular education made by Muslim Ulama from all over the world is that the former is a religious requirement of every Muslim man and woman, whereas the latter can only be described as a case of worldly necessity and not as a matter of religious obligation. According to a Hadith, knowledge is a requirement for every Muslim man and woman. Although the Hadith does not explicitly distinguish between religious knowledge and modern education, some Ulama interpret the Hadith to mean that only religious knowledge is subject to the obligation, and that modern knowledge is excluded from this obligation. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Finally Women's Education Is Totally Banned In Afghanistan By Taliban ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Islam's stand on education is clear. Every Muslim man and woman must receive an education. And one should go as far as China to acquire knowledge and education. Islam has also made its stand on purdah (veil) clear. Girls are permitted to attend schools and colleges in Muslim countries. But the Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has adopted a different strategy from that of other Muslim countries and has gone so far as to ban girls from attending school, despite the fact that Islam does not ban it. The Taliban have chosen a different route than Islam in this way. The Taliban leadership has actually erected a huge impediment to women's growth by banning them from attending schools and colleges. Islam has been based on a number of important pillars, and knowledge is one of them. Knowledge is important for both men and women. Islam places a high value on education, as shown by the fact that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the command to "read" in his first revelation. More than 500 times in the Holy Qur'an, the importance and value of knowledge have been emphasised. One of the core duties of prophethood was, in fact, to impart knowledge and insight. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: “Just as We have sent among you a messenger from yourselves reciting to you Our verses and purifying you and teaching you the Book and wisdom and teaching you that which you did not know.” (2:151) “He is the One Who sent a (Glorious) Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) amongst the illiterate people from amongst themselves who recites to them His Revelations and cleanses and purifies them (outwardly and inwardly) and teaches them the Book and wisdom. Indeed, they were in open error before (his most welcome arrival). (62:2) Fundamentally speaking, Islamic Shariah maintains that when a commandment is revealed, the female gender is also included in that commandment, even if the masculine form of the term is used. If this premise is rejected, the core principles of Islam, such as prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, and almsgiving, will no longer be applicable to women. Therefore, even if God Almighty and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) describe the majority of the commandments using the male form of the phrase, women are nevertheless required to follow those instructions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also Read: Taliban Bans Women from Universities: Why it’s not Surprising ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Holy Qur'an and hadiths make it clear that the acquisition of knowledge is required of women in the same way that it is of males. The Holy Prophet personally provided unique measures for the upbringing and training of women, according to the study of his life. According to a Hadith reported by Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, some women said to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): "men have gone ahead of us (in terms of acquisition of knowledge). Choose a specific day so that we can also gain from it. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) reserved one day for them. He would meet them on that day, offer advice, and educate them regarding the rules of Allah Almighty. (Sahih Bukhari) The most excellent example of a role model in terms of knowledge and education is Hazrat Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), the mother of believers and one of the beloved wives of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). She was a significant source of knowledge about the Prophet’s life, personality, actions, and beliefs. She was so close to the beloved Prophet that the companions of the Prophet would come to her and ask her for guidance on a range of issues. She reportedly made contributions to exegesis (Tafsir), Hadith literature, jurisprudence (Fiqh), and theology. She significantly advanced Islamic knowledge, but her contributions to other areas of knowledge are also important and should not be disregarded. She had literary, poetic, oratory, teaching, and some medical skills in addition to her other talents. She had a profound impact on the way that knowledge was shared among Muslims. She is an inspiration to Muslim women because of her enormous contributions to many different disciplines of knowledge. The Taliban government needs to quickly change course and permit girls to attend schools and colleges. I believe that denying women the right to education means denying them the chance to learn from Hazrat Ayesha how to succeed in knowledge and education. ---- A regular Columnist with NewAgeIslam.com, Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi Dehlvi is a Classical Islamic scholar with a Sufi background and English-Arabic-Urdu Translator. 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