Afghan Taliban Minister Of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem: If We Cared About Development Of People More Than About Hijab, We Would Not Go To War And Would Have Just Turned Bin Laden Over To The U.S.

On December 25, 2022, the Afghan Taliban's Minister of Higher Education Sheikh Mawlawi Neda Mohammad Nadeem tweeted a video of him speaking about the Taliban's recently-imposed hijab mandates and restrictions on women attending higher education. He said that the Taliban has been imposing these restrictions because Allah's religion is the most important thing and because Muslims cannot do what the "infidels" want them to do in contradiction of Allah's commandments. Otherwise, he explained, there would have been no reason to fight a war, and the Afghans could have just handed Osama Bin Laden over to the Americans. He added: "We are obligated to force women to wear the hijab. If they impose sanctions on us, drop a nuclear [bomb] on us, [or] have any other plan, we are still compelled to implement the commandments of our religion." As of December 27, Nadeem's Twitter account no longer exists.

Mawlawi Neda Mohammad Nadeem: "There comes some suspicion in one's heart about why the Islamic Emirate is doing this. It does not reopen schools, does not allow co-education for women, has imposed so many hijab restrictions, does not allow women in government departments...Why does it not allow women into ministries unless they cover their head and face? And why don't you see the national interest?

"[The answer is that] we are all Muslims. To us, Allah's religion is the most important thing. Had the Islamic Emirate considered the development and civilization of people as their real aim, then there would have been no need for war to begin with. [We could have] handed Osama [Bin Laden] over to them, and given women freedom like they demand now. The [governmental] system was already there – why was it necessary to [sacrifice] hundreds of thousands of martyrs?

"[But] Allah's religion does not allow us to accept what those infidels want. The hijab is commanded by Allah's book. 'O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believers' women to veil themselves.' This is commanded by Allah's book.

"Now, the infidels ask us not to declare the hijab mandatory for women and to accept this. If we accept their demands, Allah's book says [to implement] hijab, while the infidels say [to not do so]. We have an obligation. We are Muslims and we claim [to establish] an Islamic system. We are obligated to force women to wear the hijab.

"If they impose sanctions on us, drop a nuclear [bomb] on us, start a war against us again, or have any other plan, we are still compelled to implement the commandments of our religion. In this regard, we cannot help anyone, nor can we accept anyone's demands or worry that it will create problems for us."