Female Badakhsan university students stage protest

KABUL (Pajhwok): Some female students of the university in Badakhshan province staged a protest demonstration after officials of the vice and virtue department did not allow them to enter the campus without wearing burqa or niqab.

One of the students told Pajhwok Afghan News on the condition of anonymity: “This morning, when we wanted to go inside the university, we found the gate of the university closed by officials of the Department of Amr Bil Marouf wa Nahi Anil Munkar and did not allow girls to enter the university.”

She introduced herself as a representative of the protesting girls and said most girls in the university were clad in Islamic hijab. She added: “The officials did not allow the girls who were wearing masks to enter the university and were asked to either wear a niqab or a burqa.”

She said tens of girls participated in the protest and asked the government not to stop them from getting education and encourage the girls to wear hijab in a proper manner.

Naqibullah Qazizada, head of the Badakhshan University said: “This morning, a number of officials from the Department AmrBilMarouf came to Badakhshan University to give advice to the girls on hijab. They did not allow a number of girls who did not wear hijab to enter the university, which made the girls angry and they started protesting.”

He said: “Most of the girls of Badakhshan University are dressed in Islamic hijab that has been recommended for them, they wear long black chapan and black veils on their heads and masks or niqabs.”

He said some students went on strike but upon his arrival to the university, he controlled the situation.

AmriBilmarof Director Mawlavi Ahmad Mir Jawad said officials of his department daily visited different government offices and advised people. They visited Badakhshan university today, he added.

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