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Afghan women defend right to drive as Taliban curb licenses

The Arab News reported, citing the AFP, Taliban officials in Afghanistan’s most progressive city have told driving instructors to stop issuing licenses to women.
While Afghanistan is a deeply conservative, patriarchal country, it is not uncommon for women to drive in larger cities — particularly Herat in the northwest, which has long been considered liberal by Afghan standards.
Jan Agha Achakzai, the head of Herat’s Traffic Management Institute that oversees driving schools, said: “We have been verbally instructed to stop issuing licenses to women drivers ... but not directed to stop women from driving in the city."
Adila Adeel, a 29-year-old woman driving instructor who owns a training institute said the Taliban want to ensure that the next generation will not have the same opportunities as their mothers.

She said: “We were told not to offer driving lessons and not to issue licenses."
The insurgents-turned-rulers seized back control of the country in August last year, promising a softer rule than their last stint in power between 1996 and 2001, which was dominated by human rights abuses.
But they have increasingly restricted the rights of Afghans, particularly girls and women who have been prevented from returning to secondary school and many government jobs.
Taliban says it won't tolerate 'invasions' after airstrikes from neighbouring Pakistan
Shaima Wafa as she drove to a local market to buy Eid Al-Fitr gifts for her family said: “I personally told a Taliban (guard) that it’s more comfortable for me to travel in my car than sit beside a taxi driver."
She said: “I need to be able to take my family to a doctor in my car without waiting for my brother or husband to come home."
Naim Al-Haq Haqqani, who heads the provincial information and culture department, said no official order had been given.
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The Taliban have largely refrained from issuing national, written decrees, instead allowing local authorities to issue their own edicts, sometimes verbally.
“It is not written on any car that it belongs only to men,” said Fereshteh Yaqoobi, a woman who has been driving for years.
“In fact it is safer if a woman drives her own vehicle.”
Zainab Mohseni, 26, has recently applied for a license because she says women feel safer in their own cars than in taxis driven by male drivers.
Daesh claim responsibility for attack on Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan
To Mohseni, the latest decision is just a fresh sign that the new regime will stop at nothing to prevent Afghan women from enjoying the few rights they have left.
She said: “Slowly, slowly the Taliban want to increase the restrictions on women."
Source: arabnews
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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