OIC to send team of scholars to Afghanistan

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said on Thursday it will send a team of scholars to Afghanistan for dialogue on aspects related to Islam’s position on women’s education and work.

“The OIC will continue its efforts and dialogue with the concerned authorities in Afghanistan and, in coordination with the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), will send an expanded team of scholars to Afghanistan for dialogue on aspects related to Islam’s position on women’s education and work,” OIC Secretary General Hussain Ibrahim Taha said while speaking at a meeting of the council of foreign ministers of OIC in Mauritania.

He said that his special envoy during his visit to Afghanistan conveyed the message of the OIC and its Member States regarding their commitment to support Afghanistan on the humanitarian level and the importance of reviewing the recent decisions taken by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) regarding girls’ education, women’s work, and the need to make more efforts to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

“The de facto authorities still demand that they be given some time to review the academic curricula and the safe environment for girls’ education. In this regard, we affirm the total commitment of the OIC to support the right of women in Afghanistan to education and work in line with the principles of Islam,” Taha said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said the OIC should contribute to drawing up a clear pathway for peace in Afghanistan to encourage the IEA to fulfill the earlier promises; to fully respect human rights, particularly women rights; promote political inclusivity; and eliminate the terrorist threat.

This comes as IEA’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, in a recent meeting with a visiting delegation of scholars from the UAE, has emphasized that the ban on education for girls above sixth grade is not permanent.