Khaama: The existing data show that the number of cases in Afghanistan has been increasing compared to last year, officials said. Most of these cases were breast cancer among women. At the same time, men mainly had throat cancer, and the reasons were the use of chemicals, lengthy wars and the use of different weaponry in the country, said Sharafat Zaman, the MoHP spokesperson. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Health News
Ariana: The Ministry of Energy in Uzbekistan said that supplies to Afghanistan were temporarily stopped as a result of fuel shortages and various technical problems, as well as to ensure a stable energy supply to consumers in Uzbekistan. The Ministry said it had warned the energy company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) about the situation. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
8am: Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the ban imposed by the Taliban on university education for women contradicts Islamic teachings. The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran expressed this issue on Tuesday, at the meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of foreign ministers. Click here to read more (external link).
Rashid Khan
Ariana: Rashid Khan has completed 500 wickets in T20 cricket – only the second bowler after Dwayne Bravo to reach this landmark. Bravo has taken 614 wickets at an average of 24.13 in 556 matches. Click here to read more (external link).
Malala Yousafzai
Nazrana Ghaffar Yousufzai
VOA News
January 23, 2023
WASHINGTON — Malala Yousafzai says that the world should come together to support the fundamental rights of Afghan women.
The Nobel Peace Prize Laureate said in an interview with VOA that the people of Afghanistan, Muslim countries and the international community should stand with Afghan women in their fight for their rights to education and work.
After seizing power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have steadily imposed repressive restrictions on women in the country, including banning them from secondary education, from working in the government, from traveling long-distance without a close male relative and from going to parks and gyms.
Last month, the group banned women from universities and working with non-government organizations.
On the eve of International Education Day, Yousafzai told Nazrana Ghaffar Yousufzai of VOA’s Afghan Service that the Taliban’s measures are “against Islam” and she called on Muslim countries to raise their voices against it.
This interview has been translated from Pashto and edited for length and clarity.
VOA: What do you expect the international community to do on this International Education Day to guarantee Afghan women’s fundamental right to education?
Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai: I have a message to all the people, not to stay silent. Stand with the Afghan women. Afghan women are raising their voices on the global stage. They are coming out to the streets in Afghanistan, raising their voices for peace, equality, and justice. Stand with them and raise your voices for their rights to education and work.
The fathers and brothers of Afghan girls should also come out to support their rights. We all know that barring women from education is against our culture and religion. In addition, at the international level, leaders need to play their role and stand with Afghan women. Muslim nations should get together for Afghan women and raise their voices for the protection of women [in Afghanistan]. It is because we all know that in Islam, education is an obligation for all human beings. It is an obligation for women. Our religion has taught us to seek education and knowledge, and for that, Muslim countries must raise their voices that this ban is against Islam. International organizations and leaders should come together and stand with the Afghan people.
VOA: How do you see the future of a nation where women are barred from education and their access to almost everything is limited?
Yousafzai: Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are deprived of the right to education. Women are not allowed to work. Women are deprived of their fundamental human and Islamic rights. I stand with my Afghan sisters. On this day when we celebrate International Day of Education, when we talk about education, we must think about Afghan girls’ education right. If Afghan women are deprived of education, it doesn’t only harm them but also the economy, peace, and prosperity of Afghanistan. The U.N. studies show that the ban on education is causing $5.4 billion to Afghanistan’s economy. So, this harms peace and the people of Afghanistan. We must not forget Afghan women on this day.
VOA: What is your message to Afghan women during these challenging times?
Yousafzai: I stand with my Afghan sisters. I salute their courage. They raise their voices for their rights. I hope they will get their right to education, employment, and political participation. I also hope that the international community will stand by them.
Roshan Noorzai from VOA’s Pashto Service contributed to this report.
Related
DW: The inexhorable rise of the Afghanistan men’s cricket team since 2000 has been lauded as a heartwarming story of triumph amid war, occupation, poverty, repression and regime change. However, following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and the subsequent ban on female participation in sport or exercise, as well as the loss of many other basic rights, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is under increasing pressure to suspend Afghanistan from cricketing activity for violating its membership criteria. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
BBC News: “I call on fathers to take the hands of their daughters and walk them to school, even if the gates are shut.” Professor Ismail Mashal, who runs a private university in Kabul, says he has had enough of the restrictions women face in Afghanistan. Slender and well dressed, he is a mixture of defiance and raw emotion. “Even if they’re not allowed in – they should do this daily. It’s the least they can do to prove they are men,” he tells me, holding back tears. “This is not me being emotional – this is pain. Men must stand up and defend the rights of Afghan women and girls.”
In December the Taliban government announced female students at universities would no longer be allowed back – until further notice. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Sources in Afghanistan’s western Nimroz province told Hasht-e Subh on Monday, January 23, the bodies of 46 refugees were transferred to Afghanistan through the Silk Bridge crossing between Iran and Afghanistan last month. According to sources, these bodies belong to immigrants and refugees who visited Iran to work and have been killed in various incidents recently. Click here to read more (external link).