KARACHI: A leading Pakistani Islamic institution has affirmed women’s right to pursue education, including medicine and nursing, offering religious guidance that could support Afghan women and girls seeking continued access to education.
Darul Ifta at Darul Uloom Karachi issued the fatwa after Bibi Durani, an Afghan refugee woman living in Haripur, Pakistan, sought a formal Islamic ruling on women’s education in Afghanistan.
Durani approached the institution on May 17, raising concerns about Afghan women and girls whose studies could be disrupted when their families return to Afghanistan from other countries.
In its response, Darul Uloom Karachi said women may receive education in fields including medicine, provided Islamic requirements are observed.
The fatwa said educational institutions for women should be separate from those for men, while students should observe the Islamic hijab while travelling to and from their institutions.
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It said women should preferably be taught by female teachers. Where female teachers are unavailable, trustworthy male teachers may provide instruction from behind a screen while following Islamic requirements.
Education for Afghan women
The ruling is particularly important for Afghanistan, where the Taliban has barred women and girls from universities and medical institutes.
Durani told the scholars that many Afghan women and girls living in Pakistan currently attend medical colleges, nursing centres and other educational institutions while observing hijab.
“Our demand is that women’s education should also continue in Afghanistan within the framework of Islamic hijab and a separate education system,” she wrote in her request.
