Women's rights threatened in Afghanistan29 days agoTaliban advances are raising fears that women's rights could be eliminated in Afghanistan. During their rule from 1996-2001, the Taliban closed schools for girls, and women were not allowed to work in most professions. 7:31 Taliban officials have said women will be able to study and work in accordance with Shariah law and local cultural traditions but strict dress rules will apply. Haqqani said hijab religious veils would be mandatory for all female students but did not specify if this meant headscarves or compulsory face coverings. On Saturday, a group, apparently made up of female students in black robes that covered them completely from head to foot, demonstrated in Kabul in support of the rules on dress and separate classrooms. 
Veiled women hold Taliban flags as they listen to a speaker before a pro-Taliban rally at the Shaheed Rabbani Education University in Kabul on Saturday. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images) Haqqani said where no women teachers were available special measures would be adopted to ensure separation. "When there is really a need, men can also teach [women] but in accordance with Shariah, they should observe the veil," he said. Classrooms would be curtained off to divide male and female students where necessary and teaching could also be done through streaming or closed circuit TV, he said. Classrooms divided by curtains have already been seen in many places since the Western-backed government collapse and the Taliban seized Kabul last month. Haqqani told reporters that gender segregation would be enforced across Afghanistan and all subjects taught at colleges would also be reviewed in the coming months.
