Malala Yousafzai Calls for Action Against Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan

During a summit focused on girls' education in her native Pakistan, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai addressed the necessity for Muslim leaders to support the criminalization of gender apartheid at the international level. She specifically called for a unified stand against the Taliban's oppressive measures toward women and girls in Afghanistan, where teenage girls have been prohibited from attending school, and women have been barred from universities.

Yousafzai highlighted the dire consequences of these policies, warning that an entire generation of girls in Afghanistan is at risk of losing its potential. She urged Muslim leaders to advocate for change and assert their power to challenge the Taliban's narrative, which claims that they uphold women's rights based on their interpretations of Afghan culture and Islamic law. Meanwhile, the Taliban have not provided immediate commentary regarding her remarks. Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, no foreign government has officially recognized their regime, with discussions around recognition largely contingent on advancements in women's rights.