Malala Yousafzai has urged Muslim leaders to support making gender apartheid a crime under international law. At a summit on girls’ education in Pakistan, she called on them to speak out against the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Yousafzai stated that the Taliban’s policies are “oppressive laws” that must be challenged and denounced by Muslim leaders. The Nobel Peace Prize winner said that Afghan girls will be denied their future if the Taliban’s rules continue unchecked.
The Taliban claim to respect women’s rights, but diplomats say recognition requires a change in their stance on women’s rights. Yousafzai survived being shot at 15 after campaigning against denying girls an education in Pakistan.
A summit attended by international leaders and scholars discussed how to promote girls’ education in Muslim-majority countries. Yousafzai asked scholars to openly challenge the Taliban’s laws and for political leaders to support adding gender apartheid to crimes against humanity under international law.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/malala-yousafzai-urges-muslim-leaders-back-gender-apartheid-legal-push-2025-01-12