Acces to Islamic education in Afghanistan : female Madrasa under the rule of the Taliban

Abstract

Madrasa is designed for young Muslims to receive education on Islamic subjects such as Fiqh, Quran, and Hadiths. In this connection, Madrasa can be seen as a vast ground for promoting Islamic education and equipping students with extensive knowledge of Islam. Madrasas teach an Islamic system of principles based on established standards and laws of behavior in Afghan society. On the other hand, Madrasas remains to serve both male and female students in almost all Muslim countries. Afghanistan as a Muslim country also established a female-only Madrasa. Women choose a madrasa for actively imparting Islamic knowledge to young Muslim boys. The research investigated female access to madrasa after the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban's control, Afghan women who attend madrasas have particularly struggled to get access to Islamic education. Taliban's regime keeps gender inequality alive by reducing the chances for women to advance personally, gain economic independence, and actively participate in society. Nevertheless, this thesis argues that it is simplistic to think of the Taliban as the main reason for depriving women of getting educated. I suggest here that the issue of women's access to education in Afghanistan is more multi-layered and sophisticated than what we used to assume. The thesis primarily suggests two points: first, it is problematic to think of the whole of Afghanistan as a homogenous place where every city and village has the same reason for not allowing women to receive an education. Second, it is reductive to think of the problem from a state-centric perspective as if the problem is only about law.