Qatar became a key broker for the Taliban following the U.S troop’s withdrawal from Afghanistan last month. But yesterday Qatar’s top diplomat has expressed their disappointment over the Taliban’s treatment of the women population. They further stated that the Taliban’s moves on girls’ education in Afghanistan are “very disappointing” and “a step backwards”, and called on the group’s leadership to look to Doha for how to run an Islamic system. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani referred to the ongoing Taliban’s activities against women’s education and employment including its refusal to allow Afghan female secondary school students to resume their studies.
During the news conference on 30th September with the European Union Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell in Doha, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani described how Qatar can become an example for governance for the group. Qatar even after being a Muslim country can serve as an example in which women are outnumbering men in workforces, in government as well as higher education.
The Foreign Minister stated, “We need to keep engaging them and urging them not to take such actions, and we have also been trying to demonstrate for the Taliban how Muslim countries can conduct their laws, how they can deal with the women’s issues.” Further, he stated, “The recent actions that we have seen unfortunately in Afghanistan, it has been very disappointing to see some steps being taken backwards.”
Even after insurance from the group themselves that the Taliban rule this time will no longer be as rigid and strict as their previous rule from 1996-2001 there is no change in their till now. The Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islamic Law has put an end to women’s education and employment. As per various news reports, women are being hunted down by the group especially the ones who are too modern for the country. The worsening condition of women in the country has been a major concern for all the countries as well as major organisations like United Nations. The recent activities of the group have ensured that Taliban will not change how they govern the country.
