Turkish presidential spox slams Taliban bannning women from university education

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Turkish Presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın on Dec. 21 slammed the Taliban-run administration’s ban on Afghan women from accessing university education.

“The Taliban administration took a decision banning female students from entering universities in Afghanistan. This is a decision that goes against the spirit of Islam. This ban has no place in religion,” Kalın said in a tweet.

Afghanistan's Taliban-run higher education ministry on Dec. 20 suspended access to universities by female students until further notice, according to reporting by Reuters.

A letter, confirmed by a spokesperson for the higher education ministry, instructed Afghan public and private universities to suspend access to female students immediately, in accordance with a Cabinet decision.

Turkey has not recognised the Taliban leadership yet, but it has called for more global engagement with them. Ankara invited Taliban officials to a diplomacy forum it hosted previously, and has said the Afghan leadership must be heard. 

The Taliban is seeking to run Afghanistan according to its interpretation of Islamic law, and it wants to gain access billions of dollars in aid to help meet the challenge of worsening and widespread poverty.

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