Reports say that the Taliban’s Directorate of Education in Herat has instructed the administrators of several schools that, starting Saturday, 30 Jawza, all female teachers and girls in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades must attend school wearing full face-covering hijab and gloves.
According to these sources, the directive was formally communicated on Thursday in a written notice issued by officials of the Education Directorate to the principals and head teachers of a number of schools in Herat city.
It is reported that the Taliban, during a special meeting with school officials held in the hall of the “Herat Nukhbagan School,” emphasized that wearing the burqa and gloves constitutes complete hijab in accordance with their interpretation of Sharia.
Sources further state that over the past two weeks, several Taliban officials in Herat have visited a number of girls’ schools and forced students from fourth to sixth grade to wear chadori or burqa.
According to the reports, the Taliban have also advised some students in lower grades who are older in age or taller than their classmates to wear the chadori.
This measure comes amid the Taliban’s morality police in recent weeks further tightening restrictions on women in Herat.
Reports indicate that women are not allowed to leave their homes wearing manteau-style clothing. In addition, over the past two weeks, a number of women who were seen moving around the city without the Taliban-designated hijab have been arrested, and some have been detained for a period of time.
The arrest of these women has sparked protests among residents of Herat city and the Jebrail area; however, reports suggest that both protests were forcibly suppressed by the Taliban. During the crackdown on protests in the Jebrail area, at least two people were killed.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
