Erdogan promises to follow up on Afghan girls’ education issue

KABUL (Pajhwok): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denounced the caretaker government's order to ban university and primary education for women as “unIslamic”, promising to follow the issue until it is resolved.

“It is inhumane and un-Islamic,” Erdogan said while addressing an international conference on ombudsmanship in Ankara in a televised speech on Wednesday.

“There is no such thing in our religion. No one should define any ban like that based on Islam. Islam does not accept such a thing. On the contrary, we are members of a religion that says 'seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave'.”

The caretaker government last month suspended university education for women and then forbade women from working in domestic and foreign NGOs. Girls high and secondary schools have been shut since March.

After the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called on the interim government to reverse bans on girls’ education and work, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the acting government has taken a temporary step and is working to create condition to resolve the issue.

Erdogan said the Turkish foreign ministry as well as himself "will personally follow up on" the state of women's education in Afghanistan and would not leave it unchecked.

Turkey remains the only NATO country to have a functioning embassy in Kabul after the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

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