The Washington PostThe Washington Post

Where learning is against the law: A secret school for Afghan girls

By Sudarsan Raghavan

09 Nov 2022 · 6 min read

Editor's Note

More than a year after seizing power in Afghanistan, the Taliban still refuse to allow girls to go to secondary school. The Washington Post takes us inside a secret school for girls in Kabul.

KABUL - On a quiet residential street, teenage girls with school bags swiftly entered a large green gate. They were dressed in traditional garb, their faces covered, and many were holding copies of the Quran, Islam's holy book. It was for their own protection.

The house is a secret school for Afghan girls who are barred by the Taliban from getting an education. If agents raid the house, the girls will pull out their Qurans and pretend they are in a madrassa, or Islamic school, which the country's new rulers still allow girls to attend.

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