Women | A pro-Taliban cleric says training women doctors and midwives may be a religious duty, Amu TV reported; the report has not been confirmed by other sources

ACW | November 10, 2026 — A pro-Taliban cleric from Kandahar has argued in a statement on X that training female doctors and midwives may be a collective religious obligation, Amu TV reported on Tuesday.

Mufti Hedayatullah Hikmat set out nine legal arguments in the Pashto-language statement, posted under his own name, according to Amu TV. Allowing male doctors to treat women in emergencies is a temporary exception and cannot justify a permanent ban on women's medical training, he argued.

Hikmat cited classical Hanafi texts, including works by al-Quduri, al-Sarakhsi and Ibn Abidin, which he said contemplate training women to treat female patients, the outlet reported. He also said a ruler's decisions must be guided by the public interest.

Hikmat did not reject Islamic rules on contact between men and women, Amu TV said, but questioned whether they justify the ban. The outlet described him as a graduate of a religious seminary in Pakistan who runs the Larshod fatwa website and app.

Amu TV's report carried no Taliban response. The report has not been confirmed by other sources, and ACW could not locate the original statement on X.

Background: The Taliban barred women and girls from medical institutes in December 2024, Amu TV reported. ACW earlier reported that the UN says Afghan women face severe, sweeping Taliban curbs.

Why it matters: Hikmat argued that disagreement among Hanafi jurists over whether a woman needs her husband's permission to work cannot support a blanket ban, Amu TV reported. The ban has closed the path to training female doctors and midwives in Afghanistan.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Amu TV — Pro-Taliban cleric challenges ban on women's medical education using Hanafi law

Map: Afghanistan Christian Watch — Kandahar province (illustrative)