Girl stages solo protest against Taliban university ban

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP):

An 18-year-old Afghan student endured taunts and insults at the weekend as she staged a solo protest against the ban on women attending university.

“For the first time in my life, I felt so proud, strong and powerful because I was standing against them and demanding a right that God has given us,” Marwa told AFP, asking not to be further identified.

Women-led protests have become increasingly rare in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s return — particularly after the detention of core activists at the start of the year.

Participants risk arrest, violence and social stigma.

But Marwa was adamant.

Her sister shot a video of the silent protest with a phone from a car as Marwa held up a poster just metres from the entrance to the Kabul University campus, the country’s biggest and most prestigious institution.

The Taliban last week banned university education for women, prompting international outrage.

Some women have tried to protest the ban, but they have been swiftly dispersed.

On Sunday, in front of Taliban guards deployed at the Kabul University gates, Marwa carried a placard that read “Iqra”, the Arabic word for “read”.

“When my other sisters (women students) see that a single girl has stood against the Taliban, it will help them rise and defeat the Taliban,” Marwa said.