Al Azhar Imam Says Banning Women From Afghan Universities Is Against Sharia Law

Dec. 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The great imam of the University of Al Azhar, Ahmed el Tayeb, has assured this Friday that prohibiting Afghan women from attending universities in Afghanistan contradicts the sharia and has asked the authorities established by the Taliban to “reconsider their decision”.

“We express our rejection of this decision and we consider that it does not represent Sharia law and radically contradicts the precepts of the Noble Qur’an,” he has ruled, adding that this prohibition ignores more than 2,000 hadiths (deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad), according to picked up the Egyptian newspaper ‘Ahram Online’.

Likewise, El Tayeb, who is in charge of Al Azhar, which is considered the main Sunni institution in the world, has focused on the historical figures of women who have been pioneers in education, science and politics. “This shocking decision for the conscience of Muslims and non-Muslims alike should not have been issued by any Muslim,” she said.

“Islam strongly denounces such a prohibition, since it contradicts the legal rights that Islam guarantees equally for women and men. So, affirming the opposite is a fabrication against this valuable religion,” he has settled.

The Ministry of Higher Education, led by Mullah Neda Mohamed Nadim, issued a brief statement on Tuesday afternoon urging the suspension of the admission of women to higher educational institutions without giving any explanation. This veto had already occurred previously in the country’s secondary education.