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Zakir Naik's defence of Taliban's girls' education ban sparks row, Malala Yousafzai's father says 'deeply troubling'
Naik claimed that the Taliban had only postponed secondary and higher education for girls due to security concerns.
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Zakir Naik, a fugitive Indian Islamic preacher, allegedly backed the Taliban's restrictions on girls' education in Afghanistan. His remarks have drawn a sharp response from Malala Yousafzai’s father, UK-based Pakistani activist Ziauddin Yousafzai, among others.
In a video clip that surfaced on social media, Naik claimed that the Taliban had only postponed secondary and higher education for girls due to security concerns.
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"What the spokesperson of Taliban, he said the situation there in Taliban is not very safe for the women. And as far as I checked with the ambassador of Taliban, they have women education on all levels till standard 6. So primary education is there for all the females. Only the higher education because the environment is not safe," he was heard saying in the video.
"They are waiting till the safety is secure. That's what they do. But for all the other aspects of Islamic education, whether it be Sharia, whether it be Quran, whether it be PhD, they even have Sharia teachers, etc.," Naik added.
Naik also attributed the delay in girls' access to secondary and higher education in Afghanistan to a shortage of female teachers. He further claimed that Afghan women were pursuing master's degrees and PhDs in Islamic studies.
"At the lower level, in standard 6, they have education for all girls and boys. For the secondary, they don't have facility where they can have female teachers. So they are waiting for that for the environment.
So if someone delays the education till they have the right teachers, there is no problem at all. But the delay should not be too much. But as far as the Islamic field, the Sharia, the Arabic language, the Quran, when I checked up, yes, they have ladies, even ambassadors, even masters, even PhDs," he added.
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Malala Yousafzai’s father, others slam remarks
Naik's remarks have drawn criticism on social media, with Ziauddin Yousafzai describing them as "deeply troubling and disappointing".
"It is deeply troubling and disappointing to see an Islamic scholar of such global prominence as Dr. @drzakiranaik rationalise the Taliban's systematic exclusion of girls from education," he said on X.
A Faizur Rahman, an Indian Islamic scholar, said in an X post on Friday, "I'm surprised that Taliban apologist Zakir Naik enjoys widespread support in the Muslim world, particularly in Malaysia. Why?"
S Irfan Habib, an Indian historian, in a post on X on Saturday, referred to Naik's remarks and said, "He is a charlatan not really a scholar. Regressive to the extreme."
Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of Afghanistan's parliament in exile, also slammed the remarks and said on X on Friday, "According to Zakir Naik, Afghan girls aren’t banned from education. They’re just waiting for female teachers. The same female teachers the Taliban banned from working?"
"Brilliant logic, Doctor! Apparently, when misogyny wears a turban, some scholars suddenly lose their ability to reason," Solaimankhil added.
UN rights council slams Taliban's 'oppression' of women
The UN Human Rights Council, earlier in October, urged the Taliban to repeal all practices restricting the fundamental freedoms of women and girls, according to a report by AFP.
The council reportedly said human rights in Afghanistan were deteriorating and voiced serious concern about the "grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban".
The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. The report added that the women have been affected by the Taliban government's measures. They are banned from public places, including parks, and from most jobs, while education for girls beyond age 12 is outlawed.
MEA on Zakir Naik's extradition
Earlier in September, India confirmed that it continues to pursue the extradition of Naik with Malaysia.
Naik is known for his inflammatory speeches and is currently wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) under a 2016 money laundering case, according to news agency ANI.
Ministry of external affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a bi-weekly press briefing said, "We continue to take up this issue at various levels with the Malaysian side."
(with inputs from agencies)
