Afghanistan Crisis: Women Can't Be Ministers, They Should Give Birth, Says Taliban

Afghanistan Crisis: A Taliban official on Thursday dismissed the possibility of women being inducted into the Afghan government under Taliban rule, saying that women should limit themselves to giving birth solely. He went on to suggest that women should not be appointed as ministers to the government.

The Taliban's declaration comes at a time when dozens of Afghan women have taken to the streets, risking their lives, to oppose the rebel group's rule.

In response to the protests and outrage over Afghanistan's all-male government, in an interview with a news agency, Taliban spokesman Sayed Zekrullah Hashimi stated that women cannot be ministers and should instead concentrate on giving birth. Hashimi continued, "It is like you put something on her neck that she can't carry," This comes amid women's protests in Afghanistan against the Taliban's all-male rule.

Following their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban recently pledged to respect women's rights and promised them government employment.

However, during their last rule in Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, women were not permitted to work, girls were not allowed to go to school and women had to cover their face and be accompanied by a male relative if they wanted to venture out.