JAKARTA - Afghanistan's Taliban-run government said on Thursday it closed universities for women partially because female students did not comply with its interpretation of Islamic dress rules, in a decision condemned globally.
Female students were rejected from campus on Wednesday, with the Ministry of Higher Education saying their access would be suspended "until further notice".
The move sparked strong criticism from foreign governments, drawing criticism from some Afghans, sparking protests in Afghan cities.
Dozens of women gathered outside Kabul University on Thursday to protest in the capital's first major public demonstration since the decision.
In the capital, about 50 protesters mostly women gathered outside Kabul University holding banners and chanting: "Education is our right, universities must be opened."
Acting Higher Education Minister Nida Mohammad Nadim, in her first comments on the matter, told Afghan state broadcaster RTA some of the issues had prompted the decision, including female students who were not wearing appropriate Islamic clothing and interactions between students of different sexes.
"They didn't pay attention to Hijab, they came in clothes that most women wear to go to wedding parties," he explained.
The minister of higher education said in his interview that the Taliban "asked the world not to interfere in our affairs."
Nadim said discussions about women's education were ongoing.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Taliban were trying to punish Afghan women "for a dark future without a chance" by barring them from attending universities.
Blinken asked the Taliban to lift the ban.
"We are engaged with other countries in this right now. There will be costs if this is not canceled," Foreign Minister Blinken told a news conference, refusing to provide details.
"We will pursue them with allies and partners."
US-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of war when the former Western-backed government collapsed and militants, implementing a rigorous Islamic interpretation, seized Kabul.
Since the Taliban took over, students and professors say university classes have been separated by gender, female students have adapted their clothes to fulfill instructions such as covering faces and wearing dark colors.
The Taliban-led government has drawn criticism, including from foreign governments, for not opening women's special secondary schools at the start of the school year in March, prompting a turning signal to be carried out.
Although high schools in most provinces have been closed, some remain open and many study guidance centers and language classes are opened to girls.
Nadim said religious education remains open to female students. Nadim said the Taliban-run government respects women's rights in accordance with Islamic law.
The reaction to women's education restrictions complicates efforts by the Taliban-led government to obtain formal recognition and the lifting of sanctions that hinder the economy, diplomats said.
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