IMSD unequivocally condemns the blatantly misogynist decree of Taliban that for all practical purposes has effectively banned women’s education in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban have taken over in 2021, girls haven’t been able to access schools. Although they promised to open girls’ school from March 23rd; the same day they revoked the order. This December on the 20th, there is another edict which debars women from universities. As always, no reasons were cited; neither did they indicate whether this is just a temporary measure. Going by what they have done with schools, the ban appears to be a permanent one.
The IMSD would like to remind the international community that the Taliban, during the negotiations in Doha, had promised not to rollback whatever little gains Afghan women had made in terms of education. Those who were spinning the narrative that the Taliban 2.0 was different from its earlier version now need to explain their continued support to this fanatic group. Those in the Indian Muslim community who were celebrating the Taliban takeover need to ask themselves whether this is the future they envision for half the Ummah. This is the time when the Muslim world should sit up and take notice as to what happens when we empower religious orthodoxies.
We would also like to point out that such anti-women diktats should not be seen as exceptions. The now increasingly marginalized idea that Muslim women should not be educated, has a long genealogy in the Muslim world. The (in)famous Deobandi, Ashraf Ali Thanwi, never wanted women to have even an iota of modern education. Deoband is the spiritual fountainhead of the Taliban; hence it shouldn’t surprise us that its ideological descendants are excluding women from all public spaces including schools and universities. IMSD believes that a fight against the depravities of the Taliban will be incomplete without questioning the very foundational ideas which inform such antediluvian practices.
IMSD stands in solidarity with all the struggling women and men in Afghanistan who are resisting such evil decrees of the regressive Ulama. We welcome the fact that the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have condemned the Taliban’s regressive step and appeal to the international community to urgently intervene and demand that this grossly violative decision be taken back immediately. We also appeal to all Indian Muslim organizations to outrightly condemn this misogynist action of the Taliban regime.
A. J. Jawad, IMSD Co-convenor, Advocate, Chennai
(Dr) Amar Jesani, Medico Friends Circle, Mumbai
Amir Rizvi, IMSD, Designer, Mumbai
Anand Patwardhan, IMSD, Documentary Filmmaker, Mumbai
Anjum Rajabali, IMSD, Film writer, Mumbai
Arshad Alam, IMSD, Commentator, Delhi
Askari Zaidi, IMSD, Senior Journalist, Delhi
Ashhar Khan, Jaunpur
Bilal Khan, IMSD, Housing rights activist, Mumbai
Dipak Malik
Feroz Abbas Khan, IMSD, Director, Producer, Mumbai
Feroze Mithiborwala, IMSD Co-convenoir, Bharat Bachao Andolan, Mumbai
Gauhar Raza, Anhad, Delhi
Ghulam Rasool Dehlv, Islamic scholari
Hasan Ibrahim Pasha, IMSD, Writer, Allahabad
(Dr) Indira Munshi, retired professor, Mumbai
Javed Akhtar, IMSD, Poet, lyricist, Padma Bhushan, former MP, Mumbai
Javed Anand, IMSD Convenor, Human Rights Defender, Mumbai
Khadeeja Faroqui, Social Activist, Delhi
Lara Jasani, Lawyer, Social Activist, Mumbai
Mallika Sarabhai, Activist, Classical Dancer,Ahmedabad
(Dr) Manisha Gupte, Social activist
Mansoor Sardar, IMSD, Social Activist, Bhiwandi
Mohammed Imran, Delhi, New York
Muniza Khan, IMSD, CJP,Varanasi
Naseeruddin Shah, Actor, Mumbai
Nasim Khan, Varanasi
Nasreen Fazelbhoy, IMSD, retired professor, Mumbai
Neelima Sharma, Theatre, Delhi
(Prof) Qamar Jahan, Lucknow
Qaisar Pasha, IMSD, Homemaker, Allahabad
Qutub Jahan, IMSD, Social Activist, Mumbai
Rahman Abbas, Author, Novelist, Mira Road, Thane
(Dr) Ram Puniyani, IMSD, Author, Commentator, Mumbai
Rashida Tapadar, Civil service coach, freelance writer, Nagaland
Rooprekha Verma, former Vice-chancellor, Lucknow
Sabah Khan, IMSD, Parcham, Mumbai
Saif Mahmood, IMSD, Supreme Court lawyer,Delhi
Sandhya Gokhale, Feminist activist, FAOW, Mumbai
Shabana Mashraki, Mumbai
Shabnam Hashmi, Anhad, Delhi
Shalini Dhawan, Designer, Mumbai
Shama Bano, Social activist, Varanasi
Shama Zaidi, IMSD, Film Maker, Mumbai
Shamim Abbasi, Mau
Shamsul Islam, Author, Delhi
Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, Writer, Commentator, Delhi
Sultan Shahin, Editor-in-chief, New Age Islam, Delhi
Teesta Setalvad, IMSD, CJP Secretary, Mumbai
Vasanthi Raman, retired professor, Delhi
(Dr) Vibhti Patel, retired professor, Mumbai
Zakia Soman, Co-convenor, Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Delhi
(Dr) Zeenat Shaukatali, IMSD, Islamic Scholar, Author