Malala Yousafzai says Taliban do not see women as human beings

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has called on Muslim leaders to confront the Taliban government in Afghanistan for its oppressive policies against girls and women.

Speaking at an international conference on girls’ education in Muslim nations, hosted by Pakistan in Islamabad, the activist said the Taliban’s actions “go against everything our faith stands for”.

“Simply put, the Taliban in Afghanistan do not see women as human beings,” she said.

Ms Yousafzai, 27, said there was “nothing Islamic” about the Taliban regime’s policies.

The conference, organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Muslim World League and Pakistan drew political leaders and scholars from across the Muslim world to advocate for girls’ education.

The Taliban’s leaders were invited to participate but did not attend.

Ms Yousafzai accused the Taliban of creating “a system of gender apartheid” in Afghanistan. They were “punishing women and girls who dared break their obscure laws by beating them up, detaining them and harming them”, she said.

Although the Taliban “cloak their crimes in cultural and religious justification”, she argued, their actions “go against everything our faith stands for”.

Ms Yousafzai was 15 when she was evacuated from Pakistan after being shot in the head, allegedly by a Pakistani Taliban gunman, for speaking up for girls’ education. The Pakistani Taliban are a separate entity from the Taliban ruling Afghanistan.

Ms Yousafzai’s appearance at the conference was her first visit to Pakistan since 2018. She has only made a few visits to her home country since the attack.

“Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are completely banned from education beyond grade six,” Ms Yousafzai said.

“In Afghanistan, an entire generation of girls will be robbed of its future. As Muslim leaders, now is the time to raise your voice, use your power.”

Since regaining power in 2021 after the withdrawal of American and British forces and the collapse of the government supported by them, the Taliban have barred women from workplaces, education, public spaces, and public sports.

Ms Yousafzai also condemned the Israeli war in Gaza, highlighting the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Palestinian territory. “In Gaza, Israel has decimated the entire education system,” she said.

“They have bombed all universities, destroyed more than 90 per cent of schools, and indiscriminately attacked civilians sheltering in school buildings.”