The Taliban supreme leader, in his Eid ul-Adha message, has praised the group for freeing women from “many traditional oppressions”.
In the message, released on Twitter, by the group’s longtime spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, Mullah Hibattulah Akhundzada says “necessary steps have been taken for the betterment of women as half of the society in order to provide them with a comfortable and prosperous life according to the Islamic Sharia.”
This is despite the group imposing severe restrictions on women and girls’ rights to work and education, which have been branded as gender apartheid by many. According to the UN, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada has enacted 50 anti-women decrees since taking over Afghanistan.
In the Persian and Pashto versions of the message, the Taliban supreme leader also hails the establishment of Sharia courts and practices, including qisas, which “the public are witnessing with their own eyes.”
Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada further adds that the group has ended “the negative aspects” of the previous government. Afghanistan, he claims, has become “economically self-sufficient”.
Despite Akhundzada’s claims, Afghanistan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 28 million people dependent on aid for survival.
