An Essay by: Mohammad Haroon Najimi (05/09/2023)
Ingenious people always try to give feedback to governors, and good governors always accept the legitimate voices of their people in order to have a prosperous and sound society. It is significant that all citizens have equal rights without gender-based discrimination for themselves, and the government must protect and defend their rights. A government may not be acceptable to the people if it fails to secure people’s civil rights. Knowledge about the rights and application is a fundamental necessity for all citizens — men and women. Education is the tool to secure such knowledge. The Islamic faith gives the greatest value to education. Educated women have always had a considerable role in the growth of their families and children’s care, making them good members of society. Today, uneducated people may find life with modern equipment difficult. Uneducated women cannot secure a bright future for themselves as they will remain dependent on others to provide for them.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan should look into the policies that both Islamic and their application would make the nation happy. One such policy would be allowing women to study and work. It is not only helpful to people, but it is also good for the government and the socio-economic context of the country.
Education is today vital for societies that aim to be developed. Due to that fact, those activities that result in good, useful, and valuable educational benefits for a society are considered educational values. Education can improve the social, economic, and cultural fields of society. Educational institutions are places to teach skills and foster values recognized by a society, which could help the society lead into relative development. Education of children and youth is undeniable service today. Islam itself indicates importance of Education in Quranic verses and quotes of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) upon every Muslim, girl and boy. I have not heard or seen from authentic Islamic resources that knowledge is obligatory for every male Muslim only. For instance, the first revelation that was sent to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was about reading. Another example is that the hostages of the famous first war in the history of Islam were not asked to teach Muslim children religious or non-religious knowledge; on the contrary, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ordered prisoners to teach how to read and write. All in all, the key to the success of societies is only education.
Education for girls is important for their own personal development but also for society’s development economically, socially, and culturally. At the beginning, women can also help to grow the country economically. Many reported news has been heard that women are involved in manufacturing domestic products. In addition, the current generation of girls will be the mothers of the next generation. They will be liable for the upbringing of their children for the next generation. It will not be an asset for Afghan society if mothers cannot take care of their children in a way that could be helpful to society. On top of that, educated women have main role in eliminating poor customs and practices that are harmful to a society.
Lack of education is a danger to women in Afghan society. Some prevalent customs and norms within the context of Afghan society cause people to trample on their rights. They encounter early marriage, marital conflict, or different types of harassment. There are specifically many notable cases in Afghanistan. For instance, forced and dissent marriage are well-known cases in Afghanistan, and girls are sometimes not even informed about the decisions taken before by their families. Furthermore, several reports have been broadcast about a case in which many women are deprived of their inheritance rights. They are unaware of their inheritance rights, or they cannot take a portion of the inheritance. To mention the last example of another case, many widows who lost their life partners in Afghanistan’s war are currently the breadwinners of their families. They will be forced to do heavy and inappropriate tasks for inadequate wages; therefore, they are unable to fulfill their daily needs. To illustrate the main aim of the examples above and go to the important point, they cannot decide on significant issues affecting their lives without proper education because they do not have the ability or authority.
It is better to decide based on logical reasons about restricting Afghan girls. At the beginning, the implementation of any decision has profit and loss. It is useful for any government to make a wise decision that has more profit than loss. Similarly, if the current government claims to be the real servants and sympathizers of this great nation, they need to rethink deeply about their decision.
In conclusion, as a citizen and educated youth, I recommend the current government strongly retract their decision and provide educational services through schools, universities, institutions, and academic centers equally for men and women. It is necessary for governors to have a close and heartfelt relationship with their people. So that the current government can last for years and the nation can live on welfare.
