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Malala tells Muslim leaders not to ‘legitimise’ Taliban

Jamila Achakzai
Monday, Jan 13, 2025

Ag APP

ISLAMABAD: Denouncing the Afghan Taliban government’s restrictions on women and girls’ education in Afghanistan as gender apartheid, Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai on Sunday urged the Muslim world not to legitimise the oppressive regime.

“The Afghan Taliban have issued more than 100 laws to strip away women’s right to education, employment, education, healthcare and every basic freedom you can think of. They are punishing women and girls who dare to break their obscure laws by beating them up, detaining them and harming them. Simply put, the Taliban do not see women as human beings,” she said.

“Here are a few things that you [Muslim leaders] can do right now to go beyond empty statements and stand up for Afghan women and girls. First, recognise the Taliban regime as perpetrators of gender apartheid. Do not legitimise them. Do not make compromises on our faith. Second, support the Crime against Humanity Treaty, a global effort to codify gender apartheid in international law, and hold the Taliban accountable, push your governments to engage in the process. It is time we have real tools to prevent an extremist regime from systematically erasing women and girls like the Taliban are doing,” the 27-year-old activist told the concluding session of a two-day summit on girls’ education in Muslim nations here.

Malala, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in her hometown Swat in 2012 for advocating girls’ education, and earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, regretted that Afghanistan was the only country where girls were completely banned from education beyond grade 6.

The Nobel laureate said that the Taliban went against everything Islam stood for, so Muslim scholars should openly challenge and denounce the regime’s oppressive laws.

“They [Taliban regime] cloak their crimes in cultural and religious justification, but let’s be absolutely clear, there is nothing Islamic about this. These policies do not reflect the teachings of Islam,” she said.

Malala said the path forward for Afghanistan lied in political solutions instead of military force, and in using the power of international law and human rights to bring justice.

She emphasized the importance of education in Islam, saying the pursuit of knowledge is a foundational principle for both men and women.

“Our faith encourages the pursuit of knowledge for all people. It is a message for all men and women, girls and boys, to seek empowerment and growth through reading, writing and learning,” she said.

The Nobel laureate highlighted the contributions of Muslim women in advancing education, from historical figures like Hazrat Ayesha (RA), the wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), to contemporary leaders such as Mother of the Nation Fatima Jinnah and rights activist Asma Jahangir.

She said while Muslim communities had a rich history of supporting girls’ education, millions of girls worldwide were still being denied the opportunity to learn.

“More than 120 million girls are out of school today,” she said, adding that the crisis should be urgently addressed by governments across the globe, especially in Muslim-majority countries.

Malala warned if that crisis wasn’t tackled, Muslims would fail to live up to Islam’s fundamental values of seeking knowledge.

She stressed the need for a collective effort to ensure that every girl has access to a full 12 years of quality education.

“Let us be champions of our faith by being champions for girls and their right to learn,” she said, expressing the hope for the future amid a call for immediate and sustained action to make this vision a reality. “We should begin by recognising what we are up against, a crisis that holds our economy back by hundreds of billions in lost growth, a crisis harming the health, safety and security of our people,” Malala said. The federal capital hosted the two-day conference that brought together global experts, educators to address issues surrounding girls’ education in Muslim countries. This conference, she said, is an encouraging first step. “But we can only have an honest and serious conversation about girls’ educations, if we call out the worst violations of it.” Muhammad Al Issa, a Saudi cleric and secretary general of the Muslim World League — which has backed the summit — said “religion is no grounds for blocking girls from school”.

Malala said that girls in a number of Muslim countries, including Yemen and Sudan, are living under dire circumstances, facing poverty, violence and forced marriages.

Meanwhile, the international conference on girls’ education concluded here with historic Islamabad Declaration urging Islamic governments, private institutions and international organisations to prioritise girls’ education in national agendas, stressing the importance of combating extremist ideologies and cultural norms that obstruct educational opportunities for women.

“Denying girls their right to education is a grave misuse of religious principles,” the declaration asserted, calling for the dissemination of fatwas and resolutions from Islamic councils that affirm women’s right to knowledge.

It emphasised that girls’ education is not only a religious obligation but also an urgent societal necessity. It is a fundamental right safeguarded by divine laws, mandated by Islamic teachings, reinforced by international charters, and well-established by national constitutions.

“Drawing from the core principles of Islamic education to guide the educational process in harmony with cultural and religious identity, while incorporating national and global insights and knowledge that have advanced education and learning.”

“Uniting efforts to safeguard girls’ right to education and ensure their empowerment, acknowledging that educated women play a pivotal role in fostering stable families and communities. This, in turn, promotes global peace, national harmony, and fortifies societies against challenges such as extremism, violence, crime, and atheism.”

It further stated that issuing a caution against extremist ideologies, fatwas, and opinions rooted in cultural norms and patterns that obstruct girls’ education, which constitute a regrettable perpetuation of societal biases against women. Such actions represent a grave misuse of religious principles to legitimize policies of deprivation and exclusion.

“Mobilising all resources to support the efforts of Islamic countries in advancing education through improved methods and content, with a particular emphasis on girls’ education, ensuring it is placed at the forefront of their national priorities. This initiative aims to ensure equal access to education for all girls and fulfill international commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals.”

It stressed for providing free scholarships to offer educational opportunities for girls affected by poverty, conflicts, and social challenges.

It asked for considering with due importance the resolutions of Islamic Fiqh councils and the fatwas issued by scholarly bodies affirming women’s legitimate right to acquire knowledge across diverse fields and educational levels. Priority should be given to disseminating these resolutions and fatwas, while actively addressing and countering perspectives that seek to undermine this fundamental right.

“Promoting the enhancement of digital educational content by urging educational institutions and international organizations to create digital resources that improve girls’ access to education.”

It said that developing specialized educational programs for individuals with special needs by providing inclusive learning environments and qualified teaching staff. This approach aims to ensure equal opportunities for academic achievement and social participation. Encouraging legislative institutions in Islamic countries to actively promote girls’ education by drafting and implementing effective laws, regulations and national policies.

The declaration called on governmental and private media institutions across the Islamic world to organize awareness campaigns and educational programs that highlight the importance of girls’ education. These efforts should be coordinated with educational and media experts and include religious scholars, imams and guides to effectively address opposition by elucidating the true principles of Islam. Promoting scientific research and studies on girls’ education in Islamic communities. This aims to identify optimal strategies for its advancement and to address the challenges and impediments to its development.

It also commended the pioneering initiative of Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars. His leadership in launching the most extensive international partnership platform to support girls’ education in Muslim communities, through alliances that include UN organizations, governmental bodies and private entities, is noteworthy.

It declared that anyone who rejects or opposes these well-grounded Islamic religious principles is, by the consensus of this gathering as referenced in the preamble of this Declaration, considered outside the framework of the Islamic Ummah’s concepts and cannot be regarded as part of it. It is essential to disavow their ideology, whether they are an individual, an institution, or an entity—public or private.

“The conference participants also send a decisive and clear message to religious platforms, including religious lessons sermons across the Islamic world and in minority communities: It is time end the misrepresentation of Islam and the violation of women’s rights.

“Assigning Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, as the initiator of this conference. He is tasked with the responsibility of communicating all resolutions of the conference, overseeing their implementation, and ensuring the necessary financial and moral support.

“His duties extend to Islamic governments, through His Excellency the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in accordance with the terms of the agreement signed between the two parties. Governmental and private educational institutions in Islamic countries and in countries with Muslim minorities.”

In conclusion, the conference participants expressed their appreciation to the Prime Minister’s Office of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for its efforts in hosting and supporting the event. They also extended their gratitude to the Muslim World League for its exemplary organization.

The participants urged the initiator of the conference to establish a permanent committee to oversee the implementation of outcomes of this significant event, including the agreements signed, which lay the foundation for impactful action as emphasized in the initiator’s opening remarks.

These remarks included the statement: “This initiative, with God’s help, will be both effective and tangible through the substantive agreements signed. It will not be a temporary appeal, an empty declaration, or simply a symbolic stance. Rather, it will represent a qualitative transformation in advocating for girls’ education — bringing prosperity to every deprived girl and to every community in dire need of the contributions of both its sons and daughters equally.”

Meanwhile, the International Conference on ‘Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities’ concluded on Sunday with multiple agreements signed between governments, international organisations and Islamic scholars, eliminating barriers to education for girls in underserved and conflict-affected regions.

These accords aim to address systemic challenges, including cultural and ideological barriers, providing scholarships to Muslim girls and to develop comprehensive programs for ensuring access to quality education for girls.

The stakeholders pledged to implement educational programs tailored to areas affected by conflict, prioritising resources and infrastructure development to reach the most vulnerable. The agreements emphasized the sharing of best practices and pooling resources across Muslim-majority countries to promote educational development. To challenge stereotypes and promote the importance of girls’ education, the accords encouraged leveraging religious and media platforms to raise awareness and reshape cultural narratives.

Universities and academic institutions were urged to prioritize inclusive policies and invest in research to tackle gender disparities in education.