The Taliban ordered all non-governmental organizations working in Afghanistan to stop employing women due to their non-compliance with laws requiring the wearing of the hijab.
“There have been serious complaints regarding the non-observance of the Islamic hijab and other rules and regulations pertaining to the work of females in national and international organizations,” said a notification sent to all NGOs, according to the French news agency AFP, which saw a copy of the directive.
The organizations were ordered to stop allowing women to work in Afghanistan “until further notice,” and warned that if this order is not adhered to, the NGO’s license will be “canceled.”
The Taliban, who have ruled Afghanistan for more than a year, last week suspended university education for all women in the country, effective immediately. The announcement came two weeks after the Taliban allowed girls to take their high school graduation exams, despite not being in a classroom since the Islamist fundamentalist group took over and prevented girls from studying in high schools. The Taliban have been barring women from entering public spaces including parks, gyms, and entertainment venues, requiring them to wear burqas and face coverings and requiring a male escort in public.
The Taliban took over and announced the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at the end of August 2021 when the last US and other foreign troops left the country.