Taliban makes U-turn, chancellor bars women from Kabul University

Female students won’t return to Kabul University until “a real Islamic environment” is provided for all, the Taliban-appointed chancellor said, dealing another blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan since the group came to power last month.

The militant group has said that women will be allowed to work and study within the bounds of their interpretation of sharia or Islamic law, indicating a softening of their stance from when they were last in power between 1996 and 2001. However, so far there have been no moves to restore freedoms for women and girls. Earlier this month high schools reopened for boys, but girls have yet to return to classes. There are no women in the Talibanled interim government.

“As long as real Islamic environment is not provided for all, women will not be allowed to come to universities or work,” Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat, who was appointed to the job last week said in a tweet Monday. “Islam first,” he added. Ghairat was appointed to the job of leading one of the country’s main universities last week.