https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-and-improved-taliban-afghanistan-women-and-girls-education-antony-blinken-11671664770?mod=opinion_lead_pos4
During President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, U.S. officials expressed hope that the reconquering Taliban regime might be interested in joining modernity and the roll call of civilized nations. Maybe the mullahs would like Davos.
“The Taliban seeks international legitimacy and support,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Aug. 30, the official end of the evacuation. “Our message is: Any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned.” How? By “respecting the basic rights of the Afghan people, including women and minorities” and “forming an inclusive government that can meet the needs and reflect the aspirations of the Afghan people.”
On Wednesday the Taliban banned girls from attending elementary schools, as well as female teachers and other staff, the Journal reports. “My daughter has locked herself in a room since this morning and won’t stop crying,” said the father of a rising fifth-grader who wanted to become a doctor for her home village. “All her hopes are broken.” A day earlier, universities were also closed to women.
Two weeks ago the Taliban presided over its first public execution since returning to power. The convicted man had been found guilty of a murder. “Under the Islamic legal tenet of ‘qisas,’ which allows personal retribution for crimes, the father of the murder victim carried out the death sentence as a crowd watched, shooting the killer three times,” the Washington Post reports.