Taliban Spokesman Suhail Shaheen Admits His Daughters Go To School Despite Ban On Girls' Education In Afghanistan

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen has admitted that his daughters go to school, despite a ban on girls getting an education in Afghanistan. He made the revelation on television presenter Piers Morgan's new show on Talk TV. 

Mr Morgan confronted the Taliban spokesman and asked whether his daughters have been allowed to get an education, according to a clip of the show posted on Twitter by Piers Morgan Uncensored.

“Of course, yes. They are observing hijab, and so that means we have not denied for our people," Shaheen said in the tense exchange. Mr Morgan then hit back saying, “So your daughters get an education because they do what you tell them." 

"So YOUR daughters get an education because they do what you tell them."

Piers makes the point after the Taliban's spokesman Suhail Shaheen admits his daughters get an education, unlike many females in Afghanistan.@piersmorgan | @TalkTV | #piersmorganuncensored pic.twitter.com/qPtNTjQBhB

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) May 10, 2022

Social media users were quick to respond to the clip, calling out Suhail Shaheen for hypocrisy. One Twitter user said, “This man's daughters observe hijab and get an education. This man's one daughter plays on the Qatari football team. This man's one daughter has a Qatari boyfriend. Afghan girls observe the hijab but are deprived of education past the 6th grade and they cannot play sports.” Another added, “Hypocrisy! The Taliban allow their children to go to school and ban education for others.”

It is to mention that schools in Afghanistan still have not reopened to girls despite previous promises from the Taliban that they would be able to resume their education. 

Also Read | UN To Discuss On Taliban's New Hijab Rules For Afghan Women

Initially, schools were set to open in March, however, the Taliban announced the day they were supposed to open that they would remain shut down. The group offered no clear explanation for the shift, even as officials held a ceremony in the capital Kabul to mark the start of the academic year, saying it was a matter for the country's leadership. 

Taliban had promised a softer version of the harsh Islamist rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, however, many restrictions have already been imposed. Some Afghan women initially pushed back against the rules, holding small protests where they demanded the right to education and work. But, according to AFP, as the Taliban soon rounded up the ringleaders, they eventually went silent.