The Taliban morality police have beaten, insulted, and barred a number of female students from entering university in the northeastern Badakhshan province for not wearing the burqa. The students then rallied and protested against compulsory hijab.
Female students of Badakhshan University held a protest rally in front of the University and chanted the slogan “we do not want compulsory hijab”. This protest was organized on Sunday, October 30.
“We are beleaguered by the Taliban’s behavior. The Taliban’s [Ministry] of Vice [and Virtue] has assigned two mullahs at the entry gates of the dorm and at the university’s gate. They insult the students every day taking lack of proper hijab as an excuse,” said one female student to Kabul Now.
The female students were barred from entering the university, as per the account of another student, while they had proper hijab and wore masks.
A protester told Kabul Now that the Taliban forces and their Voice and Virtue police dispersed the protesters violently. They beat the female students with sticks and cables, a female protester said.
Naqibullah Qazizadah, Chancellor of Badakhshan University, told Kabul Now that the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education has endorsed a specific dress code for female students while the group’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue stresses its favorite dress code for female students.
He added that the Taliban’s muhtasibs – morality police – have behaved unwisely with the female students and asked them to wear the burqa.
The complaints of the students have been received and their protest has ended, Qazizadah stated, adding that he had a meeting with the Vice and Virtue Director for Badakhshan to address the issue.
According to the Taliban’s official dress code, each female student of a university must wear head-to-toe and loosely-fitting clothes.
