Head of Muslim World League: banning girls' education is a grave sin

Mohammed Al-Issa, Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and President of the Association of Muslim Scholars, has condemned the ban on girls’ education, calling it the "greatest sin." Speaking at the OIC conference on "Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities" in Pakistan, he criticized policies like the Taliban’s prohibition of education for girls in Afghanistan.

He stated: “Declaring what is lawful as forbidden is the greatest sin.” Al-Issa emphasized that denying girls and women the right to education and attributing such actions to Islam is fundamentally incorrect.

He added that Islam unequivocally rejects any form of deprivation of education for girls, at any age or level, whether partially or fully. Addressing the Taliban indirectly, he remarked: “With the unanimous agreement of Islamic scholars on women’s right to education, no individual or entity—governmental or private—has the right to associate their mistakes with religion.”

The OIC conference, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for girls' education in Muslim societies, began on Saturday and continues today in Islamabad.

Pakistani officials confirmed that the Taliban was invited to the conference but declined to attend.