Photo: PTV

Malala Yousafzai Urges Muslim Leaders to Reject Taliban Legitimacy

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai called on Muslim leaders worldwide to refrain from granting legitimacy to the Taliban, condemning the group’s oppressive policies towards women and girls in Afghanistan.

Speaking at a summit on girls’ education in Islamabad, Yousafzai urged religious and political leaders to take a firm stand against the Taliban’s gender-based discrimination, particularly the ongoing ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan.

“Do not legitimize them,” Yousafzai stated in her address at the two-day conference on Sunday. “As Muslim leaders, now is the time to raise your voices, use your power. You can show true leadership. You can show true Islam.”

The summit brought together education ministers, policy makers, and officials from dozens of Muslim-majority countries. The event is backed by the Muslim World League (MWL) and aims to address key issues related to girls’ education in the region.

Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 for advocating for female education, also condemned the Taliban’s justification of their policies through “cultural and religious” narratives. “Simply put, the Taliban do not see women as human beings,” she said, calling their actions a violation of fundamental human rights.

Despite being invited to attend the conference, no representatives from the Taliban’s Afghan government were present. Pakistan’s Minister of Education, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, confirmed that the Taliban had been extended an invitation but declined to attend.

Since regaining power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban have imposed an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islamic law, which the United Nations has described as “gender apartheid.”

The international community remains divided on how to engage with the Taliban, with some advocating for diplomatic isolation and others urging dialogue to influence the group’s policies.