“After female universities were closed by the Taliban, my only remaining option was to secure an overseas scholarship,” recounts 20-year-old Afghan student Natkai, a pseudonym used for her protection. The Taliban have been severely restricting the rights of women who defy their rule. Despite the odds, Natkai continued her studies in hopes of attending a university outside Afghanistan.
She was granted a scholarship from Emirati tycoon Sheikh Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor to attend the University of Dubai, a program created in December 2022 following the Taliban’s ban on women’s higher education. It’s understood that 100 Afghan women have received these scholarships, with some already having made their way to the UAE.
However, Natkai’s aspirations were crushed on July 23 when she arrived at the airport. “The moment Taliban authorities saw our student visas and tickets, they declared that girls couldn’t leave Afghanistan on student visas,” she recounts, choking up. She was among at least 60 other young women who were denied the opportunity to board their flights.
Photos reviewed by the BBC capture the young scholars in black hijabs or headscarves, appearing shattered next to their luggage. The Taliban restricts women from traveling alone, allowing them to go overseas only if accompanied by a male family member known as a mahram. Yet even this provision was not honored. “Even the three girls who had a mahram were removed from the plane by officials from the Vice and Virtue ministry,” adds Natkai.
Shams Ahmad, not his real name, escorted his sister to the airport and describes the emotional toll: “The scholarship had given new hope to my sister after local universities shut down. She left the house hopeful, and came back in tears, her rights completely stripped away.” Ahmad noted that some had even taken loans to pay for visas for their male escorts, but were still not permitted to travel.
Both the University of Dubai and Mr. Al Habtoor confirmed the incident. Al Habtoor, in a video message, criticized the Taliban, stating that under Islam, men and women are equals. An audio note from one of the stopped students encapsulates the despair: “We’re stuck at the airport; the government won’t let us go to Dubai. Even those with a mahram aren’t allowed. We don’t know what to do. Please help.”
