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IEA facing criticism for implementing Sharia, says minister
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) minister of higher education said the government has come under fire by the international community, including Muslim countries, for implementing Sharia.
This comes after a delegation of religious scholars from Egypt, Sudan, Libya and Palestine met with the minister in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.
These religious scholars shared their experiences on education with Neda Mohammad Nadim, the higher education minister, on Saturday in his office in Kabul, the ministry said.
“Our goal is to implement Sharia law, but for this we are facing criticism from the West and some Islamic countries,” Nadim said.
The minister said that Islam is currently very poor and called on the scholars to cooperate and share their message with other scholars.
“Islam is currently very poor and has been attacked by infidels. I ask the scholars to share this situation with other scholars,” Nadim added.
In the meeting scholars of Islamic countries shared their experiences of education in their countries with the Higher Education Minister, the ministry said.
Experts believe that closing the doors of schools and universities to females will increase the gap between the government and the people.
Meanwhile, on the same day UN deputy envoy Markus Potzel met IEA's Higher Education Minister and called for the urgent lifting of the bans on female education and work for aid agencies.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced that Afghanistan has entered a new period of crisis.
UNAMA stressed that the IEA ban on education for women and even stopping them from working for aid agencies will harm all Afghans.
The IEA recently banned girls from attending universities and other higher education institutions. This decision has faced widespread national and international criticism.
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Eight Afghan migrants die as boat capsizes off Greek island
Eight Afghan migrants died after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized off Greece's eastern island of Rhodes on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Greek authorities said that the capsizing was the result of the boat’s maneuvering to evade a patrol vessel.
A total of 18 migrants — 12 men, three women and three minors — all Afghan nationals, were rescued, Greece's coast guard said Saturday. The dead were also from Afghanistan, it said.
Some migrants remained hospitalized, with one in critical condition, authorities said.
Two Turkish citizens, ages 23 and 19, were arrested as the suspected traffickers. The boat sank after capsizing, the coast guard said.
The sinking off Rhodes was the second deadly incident involving migrants in the past week.
Seven migrants were killed and dozens were believed missing after a boat partially sank south of the island of Crete over the weekend — one of four rescue operations during which more than 200 migrants were rescued.
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Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires meets with IEA deputy foreign minister
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The Norwegian Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan, Per Albert Ilsaas, on Saturday met with IEA’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanikzai, in Kabul.
Welcoming the diplomat’s visit to Kabul, Stanikzai underscored the importance of political relations between Afghanistan and Norway, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In addition to focusing on bilateral political, humanitarian, and other pertinent issues, the two sides expressed hope that continued engagement would lead to constructive solutions to related issues.
This comes two weeks after the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi expressed disappointment regarding the decision by the Norwegian government to downgrade diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.
Balkhi said in a post on X that such decisions should not be linked with internal affairs of other countries.
“Diplomatic engagement is most effective when it fosters mutual understanding and respect, even amidst differing viewpoints,” he stated.
“Access to consular services is a fundamental right of all nationals. We strongly urge all parties to prioritize this principle in the spirit of international cooperation,” he added.
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A new polio vaccination campaign is set to launch in Afghanistan
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
The “Afghanistan Polio-Free” organization announced that a new round of polio vaccinations will begin on Monday, December 23, in various provinces of Afghanistan.
The organization did not specify which provinces will be targeted or how long the vaccination campaign will last.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
On December 4, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement reporting a 283% increase in polio cases in Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the number of positive environmental samples for wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan in 2024 reached 84, compared to 62 cases in 2023.
The Ministry of Public Health claimed in November 2024 that no new cases of polio had been reported in Afghanistan for the year.
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