Turkey and Saudi Arabia became the latest Muslim-majority countries to condemn a decision by Taliban authorities to bar women from universities, while about two dozen women staged a protest in the streets of Kabul on Thursday.
In another sign of domestic opposition, several Afghan cricketers condemned the university ban. Cricket is a hugely popular sport in Afghanistan, and players have hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
The country's Taliban rulers earlier this week ordered women nationwide to stop attending private and public universities effective immediately and until further notice.
They have yet to publicly speak about the ban or react to the global backlash against it, although a spokesman for the Ministry of Higher Education, Ziaullah Hashmi, said in a tweet on Thursday that a news conference would be held this week to explain the move.
Despite initially promising a more moderate rule respecting rights for women and minorities, the Taliban have widely implemented their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, since they seized power in August 2021.
They have banned girls from middle school and high school, barred women from most fields of employment and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public.
Women are also banned from parks and gyms. At the same time, Afghan society, while largely traditional, has increasingly embraced the education of girls and women over the past two decades.
The latest condemnations of the university ban came from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday that the ban was 바카라neither Islamic nor humane.바카라
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Yemeni counterpart, Cavusoglu called on the Taliban to reverse their decision.
바카라What harm is there in women's education? What harm does it to do Afghanistan?바카라 Cavusoglu said.
바카라Is there an Islamic explanation? On the contrary, our religion, Islam, is not against education, on the contrary, it encourages education and science.바카라
Saudi Arabia, which until 2019 enforced sweeping restrictions on women's travel, employment and other crucial aspects of their daily life including driving, also urged the Taliban to change course.
The Saudi foreign ministry expressed 바카라astonishment and regret바카라 at Afghan women being denied a university education.
In a statement late on Wednesday, the ministry said the decision was 바카라astonishing in all Islamic countries.바카라
Previously, Qatar, which has engaged with the Taliban authorities, also condemned the decision.
In the capital of Kabul, about two dozen women marched in the streets on Thursday, chanting in Dari for freedom and equality. 바카라All or none. Don't be afraid.
"We are together,바카라 they chanted.
In video obtained by The Associated Press, one woman said Taliban security forces used violence to disperse the group.
바카라The girls were beaten and whipped,바카라 she said. 바카라They also brought military women with them, whipping the girls. We ran away, some girls were arrested. I don't know what will happen.바카라
Several Afghan cricketers called for the ban to be lifted.
Player Rahmanullah Garbaz said in a tweet that every day of education wasted was a day wasted in the country's future.
Another cricketer, Rashid Khan, tweeted that women are the foundation of society. 바카라A society that leaves its children in the hands of ignorant and illiterate women cannot expect its members to serve and work hard,바카라 he wrote.
Another show of support for female university students came at Nangarhar Medical University. Local media reported that male students walked out in solidarity and refused to sit exams until women's university access was reinstated.
