Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, criticized the Taliban on Sunday, stating that they view women as “non-human” and have imposed a system of “gender apartheid” by justifying their oppressive actions with cultural and religious arguments.
Since regaining power in 2021, the Taliban has enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, which the United Nations has described as “gender apartheid.” Their policies have excluded women and girls from secondary and higher education, many government roles, and public life.
Addressing a summit on girls’ education in Muslim-majority countries in Islamabad, Yousafzai described the situation for women living under Taliban rule as one of “gender apartheid.” She highlighted the abuse women endure, including punishment for violating the Taliban’s restrictive laws, such as detention, beatings, and harm.
“The Taliban do not see women as human beings,” Malala stated, criticizing their actions as being cloaked in cultural and religious justifications. She also condemned the Taliban’s policies as being completely un-Islamic, saying that they violated basic human rights and no religious or cultural excuse could justify them.
The conference, which gathered ministers and education officials from various Muslim-majority countries, was not attended by representatives from Afghanistan’s Taliban government, despite an invitation. Malala called on Muslim leaders to refuse to legitimize the Taliban regime, urging them to speak out against the restrictions on women’s education and to support the Crime Against Humanity treaty.
Yousafzai stressed that political solutions, rather than military force, were needed to address the crisis in Afghanistan. She also pointed out that 12 million girls in Pakistan are out of school, making it one of the highest numbers globally, and emphasized the need for further work to ensure every Pakistani girl can access education.
Malala urged Muslim leaders to raise their voices against the ongoing educational crisis, not just in Afghanistan, but globally, where over 120 million girls are denied schooling. She noted that the Muslim World League should recognize the detrimental effects of this crisis on economies and growth.
She also pointed out the significant consequences for Afghanistan, where a generation of girls is losing the opportunity to learn, and the Taliban is systematically pushing women and girls out of public life.
Malala, who survived a Taliban assassination attempt in 2012 for advocating for girls’ education, has since become a global advocate for women’s education. While there is widespread international criticism of the Taliban’s policies, nations remain divided on how to respond—some call for diplomatic isolation, while others advocate for engagement in an attempt to change their stance.
No country has officially recognized the Taliban, though some regional governments have engaged with them on matters of trade and security.
