Afghan girls defy Taliban by attending secret schools

Nafisa found the perfect place to hide her textbooks from her Taliban brother… in the kitchen, where Afghan men rarely go. Hundreds of thousands of girls and young women like Nafisa have been out of school since the militant movement returned to power a year ago, but their thirst for education has not waned. “Men have nothing to do in the kitchen, so I keep my books there,” says Nafisa, who attends a secret school in a village in eastern Afghanistan. “If my brother finds out, he will beat me,” she added. Since returning to power a year ago, the Taliban have imposed severe restrictions on girls and women, effectively excluding them from public life. To get to school, girls often leave their homes hours in advance and take different routes to avoid being seen in the area, which is predominantly Pashtun, the main body of the Taliban. If a Taliban fighter asks where they are going, the girls reply that they are registered with a tailor shop and hide their books in shopping bags, under abayas or veils. But the issue has divided the movement, with several sources telling AFP that hardliners are advising Supreme Leader Hebatullah Akhundzadeh to oppose any education for girls or, at best, limit education to religious studies or academic pursuits such as cooking and embroidery. .