Hibatullah Akhundzada

What’s life like as a woman under the Taliban? | The Economist

Tom Sasse, Zanny Minton Beddoes, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Chris, Steve

Under the leadership of Emir Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban has enforced sweeping restrictions that ban girls from secondary education, exclude women from public universities, and legally validate child marriage through a series of hardline decrees. Although an ideological rift exists between the Emir's isolated, ultra-conservative faction in Kandahar and moderate Taliban members who oppose these bans, Haibatullah has consolidated power using a loyal armed force to suppress internal dissent. While these measures have collapsed the public education system for females and deepened societal dissatisfaction, the Emir currently retains full authority despite expert doubts regarding the long-term sustainability of such repression.