ISLAMABAD – Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai called on Muslim leaders on January 12 to reject the legitimacy of the Afghan Taliban government and to demonstrate true leadership by opposing their restrictions on women and girls’ education.
Speaking at a summit on girls’ education in Islamabad, Ms Yousafzai emphasized, “Do not legitimise them. 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 two-day conference, backed by the Muslim World League, has brought together ministers and education officials from numerous Muslim-majority countries. Since their return to power in 2021, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on women and girls, shutting them out of secondary school, university education, and many government jobs.
Ms Yousafzai, who was shot by the Pakistani Taliban in 2012 for her advocacy of female education, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. She has since become a global advocate for women and girls’ education rights.
The Taliban’s absence from the summit, despite being invited, underscores the ongoing international debate over how to engage with Kabul’s rulers on the issue of women’s rights.
