New Delhi: Saeeda Dilyabi, 23, decided to move to India from Afghanistan in 2019 to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in computer applications because she wanted to “learn something about technology”, and then apply for a good job upon returning home. She is currently enrolled as a student in MSc Information Technology at Panjab University in Chandigarh. 


The recent order by the Taliban rulers, who recaptured Afghanistan in 2021, banning women from universities and other public places has “shattered” Dilyabi’s aspirations. 


On December 21, a letter shared by spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Higher Education, Ziaullah Hashmi, told private and public universities to implement the ban as soon as possible and to inform the ministry once the ban is in place. Hashmi confirmed the content of the letter while speaking to the media, but did not furnish any further details. 


The order is “very much embarrassing”, Dewa Safi, another Afghan woman studying in India, said while speaking to ABP Live. She is pursuing her Master’s in International Relations at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi. 


‘I Am Hopeless’


When she came to India in 2017 for her graduation, Dewa's plans were to go back to Afghanistan and “serve the country” after completing her higher education. 


“I had so many plans, but now I am hopeless for how the situation has been unfolding in my country," she said


A similar sense of despair was echoed by Dilyabi, who said she thought she could have done something for her country but the ban "just shattered all the plans and dreams".


‘Very Risky To Go Back’


Speaking to ABP Live, Dilyabi said going back to her country from India after completing education would be “very risky” for her. Returning from a foreign country after higher education, and her single status, were the two main reasons she listed for the "risk". 


Dilyabi narrated incidents from her village where the Taliban came knocking at the doors of people. “If they found a woman who was single, they just ordered their nikah (Islamic marriage contract) for the next day,” she said, adding that women are not allowed to go outside without any male member of the family. 


“Thank God, you are not here,” her family told her after seeing the condition of girls in their village, according to Dilyabi. 


Dewa acknowledged the “privilege” she has of studying in India "and knowing my rights better than other women in Afghanistan”. But, she said, all the degrees she has earned here until now would be rendered “useless” if she returned to Afghanistan. “All my efforts of 6-7 years of studies will be useless if I go back,” said Dewa, who has applied for admission to PhD and is awaiting results so she could continue her education in India. 


Meanwhile, Dilyabi said she keeps asking herself "what after this".


“I still don’t know,” she said. Dilyabi will have to return once she completes her Master's. “Having graduated from abroad, my degree would have had value earlier, but not now."


She said “maybe” she would have got a good job if she were a man, suggesting better rights for men in Afghanistan. 


Afghan Men's Reaction To The Ban 


After the Taliban order, many male teachers came in support of their female colleagues and tendered resignations from colleges and universities. But the situation is not the same for men either when it comes to protesting against the order. 


Darvaish, 27, an Afghan refugee in India, said there were three categories of men in Afghanistan in terms of reaction towards the ban. 


“First are the uneducated ones whom the Taliban have brainwashed into believing that whatever they are doing is in accordance with Islam, so they have accepted it and are okay with females of their families discontinuing their education and work.” 


The other two groups of men are against the ban, of which one group, mostly of young males, is coming out in solidarity with their female counterparts. But there is this third category of males who are “not able to stand” against the order because they fear repercussions. 


Men from Dilyabi’s family fall in the third category “who want to raise their voice” but “might get killed” if they did so, she said.


“Taliban are scared of women,” said Dilyabi, adding that they were “misrepresenting Islam”. Same views were shared by Dewa who said “Taliban actually do not know Islam”.


“Islam never said that women should stay at home. Education is a must and education is first,” she stressed. 


“We could have thought of going back to our country,” Darvaish told ABP Live, adding: "but not after this".


“We cannot think of going back anymore.”