KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) A memo from Afghanistan s education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing
Mar 12, 2021 12:30 PM EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) A memo from Afghanistan’s education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media, prompting the authorities to say it was a mistake and that its authors had misunderstood the objective.
Still, #IAmMySong is gaining traction on Twitter, with some Afghan girls singing their favorite tunes for the camera and calls popping up for petitions to oppose the directive.
The controversy comes as women’s rights activists and civil society groups are fighting to ensure that fragile human rights gains made over the last 20 years in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime take center stage in the peace talks underway with the insurgents. It also shows how the rights of girls and women are under threat from conservatives on both sides of the protracted conflict.
Memo banning Afghan girls singing prompts #IAmMySong protest
KATHY GANNON, Associated Press
FacebookTwitterEmail 6
1of6FILE - in this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, students attend an open air class at a primary school in Kabul, Afghanistan, An Afghan education ministry memo banning girls, 12 years old and older, from singing at public school functions, which the education ministry tells The Associated Press was a mistake, is causing a social media stir.Mariam Zuhaib/APShow MoreShow Less
2of6FILE - in this Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, students attend an open air class at a primary school in Kabul, Afghanistan, An Afghan education ministry memo banning girls, 12 years old and older, from singing at public school functions, which the education ministry tells The Associated Press was a mistake, is causing a social media stir.Mariam Zuhaib/APShow MoreShow Less
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) A memo from Afghanistan s education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media, prompting the authorities to say it was a mistake and that its authors had misunderstood the objective.
Still, #IAmMySong is gaining traction on Twitter, with some Afghan girls singing their favorite tunes for the camera and calls popping up for petitions to oppose the directive.
The controversy comes as women’s rights activists and civil society groups are fighting to ensure that fragile human rights gains made over the last 20 years in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban regime take center stage in the peace talks underway with the insurgents. It also shows how the rights of girls and women are under threat from conservatives on both sides of the protracted conflict.
Memo banning Afghan girls singing prompts IAmMySong protest
AP/Kabul
Afghan students attend an open air class at a primary school in Kabul.
(AP file)
Afghan education ministry memo banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at public school functions is causing a social media stir
A memo from Afghanistan’s education ministry banning girls 12 years old and older from singing at school functions has been causing a stir on social media, prompting the authorities to say it was a mistake and that its authors had misunderstood the objective.
Still, (hash)IAmMySong is gaining traction on Twitter, with some Afghan girls singing their favourite tunes for the camera and calls popping up for petitions to oppose the directive.