Intercepted By Taliban Authorities At Airport, Afghan Female Student Recipients Of Scholarships Failed To Study In Dubai

Afghan woman illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Davric)

JAKARTA - Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have again 'hit' women in the country, after a female student failed to study abroad due to being intercepted at the airport, while it is an international scholarship facility.

The Taliban's strict restrictions on Afghan women have not changed Natkai's determination (not her real name), to continue her education to college level, although unlikely.

He then received a scholarship to study at the University of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the billionaire Emirate Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor.

Scholarships for Afghan women announced in December 2022 after the Taliban banned women from entering university, reported the BBC 28 August.

Information obtained, a total of 100 Afghan women managed to get this scholarship. Several Afghan students living abroad have traveled to Dubai.

On Wednesday 23 July, Natkai said goodbye to her family and left for the airport. However, the hope was soon dashed.

"When Taliban officials saw my student tickets and visas, they said girls were not allowed to leave Afghanistan on student visas," he said.

"After the Taliban closed the university to women, my only hope was to get a scholarship that could help me study abroad," said 20-year-old Natkai.

Natkai was one of at least 60 girls who were refused to leave the country when they were already at the airport.

Photographs seen by the BBC show young girls wearing hijabs or black headscarves standing next to their luggage in a state of shock and sadness.

The Taliban is known to prohibit the journey of women traveling abroad, except with husbands or men who still have blood relations, such as brothers or uncles, known as mahram.

But this is not enough.

"Three girls who had mahram were on the plane. But officials from the Ministry of Labor and Virtue took them off the plane," said Natkai.

Meanwhile, a young man called Shams, also experienced interceptions at the airport accompanying his sister who was about to go abroad.

"This student gave new hope to my younger brother after the university here closed. He left the house with hope and came back crying. All his rights have been taken," he said.

Ahmad said some women even borrowed money to pay for male companion visas to accompany them, but they were still stopped.

"Some of these girls are very helpless and poor. They don't even have 400 Afghans (US $ 5) for document verification fees requested by the foreign ministry," he explained.

Separately, the University of Dubai and Al Habtoor have confirmed the girls were stopped (at the airport). Al Habtoor criticized Taliban authorities in posting video messages on Twitter, saying men and women are equivalent in Islam.

The video also contains voice messages in English from an Afghan girl who was dismissed at the airport.

"We are now at the airport but unfortunately, the government will not allow us to go to Dubai," he said.

"Even they don't allow those who have a mahram. I don't know what to do. Please help us," he exclaimed.

The Taliban's latest move has caused disappointment among human rights groups and diplomats.

"This is an important and worrying step, surpassing the extraordinary level of cruelty that the Taliban have committed by not providing education to girls and girls," said Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch.

"This makes them prisoners to prevent others from helping them learn," he continued.

Separately, the Taliban have not issued any statements or clarifications. while a spokesman for the Ministry of Labor and Virtue Mohammad Sadiq Akif Muhajir told the BBC they were not aware of the incident.

The senior Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, also declined to comment, saying he was traveling and had no information whatsoever.