Afghanistan International: Members of the Taliban have shared an audio file of Sheikh Abdul Ali Deobandi on X, in which he declares that teaching women to read and write, even at home, is prohibited. Ziaullah Hashmi, the spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education, reposted the file, calling it an “important fatwa”. In the audio file, Sheikh Abdul Ali Deobandi cites narratives from the early days of Islam, asserting that women are not allowed to attend congregational prayers or learn to write. Abdul Ali Deobandi emphasises that women’s participation in congregational prayers and learning to write leads to “corruption”. Click here to read more (external link).