Zakir Naik defends Taliban on girls' education, unites Indians, Pakistanis, Afghans

Fugitive Indian preacher Zakir Naik has defended the Taliban record on girls' education, in a way justifying even the ban on women's higher education. In doing so, he united Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans in their outrage. People have also questioned Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's support for Naik.Islamic preacher Zakir Naik left India in 2016, and has since been living in Malaysia, where he holds permanent residency. (Social Media)New Delhi,Oct 31, 2026 06:30 ISTFugitive Indian Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has drawn sharp criticism from Indians, Pakistanis and Afghans after defending the Taliban's restrictions on girls' education in Afghanistan. In a video clip, Naik claimed that the Taliban had merely delayed secondary and higher education for girls because of security concerns and a shortage of female teachers. He also claimed that Afghan women were pursuing master's degrees and PhDs in Islamic studies.The remarks by Naik, who found refuge in Malaysia, triggered a backlash from journalists, activists and academics from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. They questioned Naik's claims and accused him of defending the Taliban's restrictions."Everything that comes in the media is not true," Naik said in the video. Claiming to have spoken to Taliban representatives, he said, "So if someone delays the education till they have the right teacher, there is no problem at all."Reacting to his remarks, Malala Yousafzai's father and UK-based Pakistani activist Ziauddin Yousafzai, called Naik's justification "deeply troubling and disappointing". Indian Islamic scholar A Faizur Rahman questioned Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for allowing Naik to stay in the South East Asian nation.Naik left India in 2016 amid allegations that his speeches had inspired one of the terrorists involved in the Dhaka cafe attack. He subsequently faced charges of promoting religious hatred, engaging in unlawful activities and money laundering, all of which he has denied. Naik sought asylum in Malaysia in 2017, where he obtained permanent residency, while India's efforts to extradite him have remained unsuccessful. WHAT ZAKIR NAIK SAID ABOUT TALIBAN'S GIRLS' EDUCATION BANNaik, who's wanted by Indian agencies in cases involving alleged money laundering and incitement, claimed that he had personally discussed the restrictions on girls' education with Taliban representatives."I have even spoken personally to them. What you have to understand is that everything that comes on the media is not true," he said.Naik claimed that the Taliban allowed girls to study until Class 6 and had postponed further education because the environment was unsafe. "Only the higher education, because the environment is not safe, they are waiting till the safety is secure," he said.The preacher also argued that Afghanistan lacked enough female teachers for secondary education. He also claimed that women could pursue advanced studies in Sharia, Arabic and the Quran, including master's degrees and PhDs. "So to say that they don't have higher education is wrong. It's misinformation," he said.However, his claims contradict the findings of United Nations agencies.According to UNICEF's August report, more than 2.6 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Taliban returned to power on August 15, 2021.Girls have been barred from formal education beyond Class 6 since September 2021, while women have been excluded from universities since December 2022. Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where secondary and higher education is effectively closed to girls and women, according to UNICEF.After returning to power in 2021, the Taliban introduced gender segregation in classrooms, mandated female teachers for girls and, in March 2022, reversed plans to reopen secondary schools for girls. The restrictions widened in December 2022, when women were barred from public and private universities, and again in December 2024, when the Taliban prohibited women from attending medical training institutes, including nursing and midwifery courses, according to the US' Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.AFGHANS SLAM ZAKIR NAIK'S DEFENCE OF TALIBANBelgium-based former Afghan security forces member Azim Shinwari questioned Zakir Naik's explanation about the shortage of female teachers. "But if girls are prevented from studying, how are they supposed to become the qualified teachers Afghanistan needs?" he asked on X.Shinwari also questioned Naik's claims about Afghan women pursuing postgraduate degrees in Islamic studies. "Where is the evidence to support these claims?" he asked.He recalled previously reporting an alleged meeting between Naik and representatives of the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence in Saudi Arabia.Mariam Solaimankhil, a member of Afghanistan's Parliament in Exile, also ridiculed Naik's explanation. "According to Zakir Naik, Afghan girls aren't banned from education. They're just waiting for female teachers. The same female teachers the Taliban banned from working?" she wrote on X."Brilliant logic, Doctor!" she added.Mahbob Shah Mahbob, editor of Afghan International Pashto, questioned Naik's description of the restrictions as a postponement rather than a ban. "But if schools are closed, where are those teachers supposed to come from? The sky?" he asked. "Afghan girls deserve education, not excuses."Afghan-born, US-based journalist Lina Rozbih also criticised the preacher. "Zakir, if you really support the Taliban's ban on girls' education, move to Afghanistan and live under the Taliban regime yourself instead of defending the Taliban," she wrote on X.MALALA'S FATHER, INDIAN SCHOLARS JOIN CRITICISMZiauddin Yousafzai, the Pakistani education activist and father of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, condemned Naik's position. "Presenting an indefinite ban as a mere postponement and invoking a shortage of female teachers without explaining how that shortage can be addressed is not a credible defence," he wrote on X.Yousafzai warned that such arguments risked giving religious legitimacy to the Taliban's exclusion of Afghan girls from education.Indian Islamic scholar A Faizur Rahman also questioned Naik's influence in Malaysia. "I'm surprised that Taliban apologist Zakir Naik enjoys widespread support in the Muslim world, particularly in Malaysia. Why?" he wrote on X, tagging Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.Indian historian S Irfan Habib also brought up the Malaysian leader, saying, "Amazed at the generosity of PM Anwar Ibrahim."YouTuber-historian Ruchika Sharma criticised religious leaders who failed to condemn Afghanistan's restrictions on women's education. "It is one of the grossest violations of human rights in the world!!" she wrote on X.Naik's remarks and the criticism they triggered come even as the Taliban's restrictions on girls' education enter their sixth year in 2026. There is no announced date for reopening secondary schools and universities to girls and women.A separate UNICEF assessment from April warned that Afghanistan could lose up to 20,000 female teachers and 5,400 healthcare workers by 2030 if restrictions on education and employment continued. This warning also underscores the central question raised by Naik's critics. If Afghan girls cannot continue their education, where will the next generation of female teachers come from?- Ends(Written by Sushim Mukul)