CAIR Calls on Afghanistan to Lift 'Un-Islamic' Restriction on Education of Girls

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged Afghanistan to lift restriction on the education of girls after that nation's leaders said high schools would remain closed to girls until a reopening plan was established.

SEE: Taliban rulers close schools to girls above sixth grade, reneging on promise

https://news.yahoo.com/taliban-rulers-close-schools-girls-133817248.html

In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:

"The Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him, taught that seeking knowledge is obligatory for every single Muslim. That's why a Muslim woman founded the very first university in the entire world. Banning Afghan girls from school after sixth grade is irrational, harmful and un-Islamic. Young women must be able to safely and freely pursue an education in Afghanistan and around the world."

Mitchell noted that more than 1,400 years ago, Islamic law protected women's fundamental rights by guaranteeing women the right to an education, the right to own a business, the right of inheritance, the right to choose a spouse, the right to a prenuptial agreement, the right to initiate divorce, the right to receive child support, the right to petition and criticize a government, among many other things.

The Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) wife Khadijah was a prosperous businesswoman. The first martyr in Islam was a woman, as was the first person to accept the Prophet's message from God. The oldest university in the world was founded in Morocco by Fatima al-Fihri in 859 CE.