Taliban's first 'fatwa': Ban on co-education in Herat province

(PTI) Kabul, Ta. 21

Within days of claiming respect for women in Afghanistan and claiming to be more militant, the Taliban have shed light on their conservative mindset. The Taliban have banned co-education in public and private universities in the restive Herat province, calling it the root of all evil in society.

According to the Khama Press News Agency, the decision was taken after meetings of university professors, owners of private educational institutions and the Taliban Authority. This is the first "fatwa" by the Taliban since they easily seized power in Afghanistan last week. Long after the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday, longtime Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid promised in the first press conference that the Taliban would respect women's rights under Islamic law.

Less than a week after Zabihullah Mujahid's promise was fulfilled, Mullah Farid, a Taliban representative and head of higher education in Afghanistan, said co-education in the country should stop during a three-hour meeting with university professors and owners of private educational institutions in Herat province. There is no alternative. He said women professors could only teach girls, not boys. Co-education is the root of all evils in society.