Jeddah, December 26, 2022, SPA -- Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, called on the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) to launch an international campaign rallying the voices of Muslim scholars and religious authorities against the Taliban de facto government’s decision to prevent Afghan females from education, including higher education, and its repercussions, per the teachings of the true Islamic religion that encourages the education of females. In a speech at the opening of the second meeting of the IIFA office for the year 2022, which was held today via video communication technology, the Secretary-General said that the Taliban’s decision represents a challenge to the Fiqh Academy, in addition to the issues of minorities, the escalating feelings of hostility against Muslims in Western countries, and other pressing issues. The Secretary-General stressed the priority of the Afghan file in the agendas of the OIC and IIFA, pointing out that the Taliban's decision is not based on Islamic law, especially since a team of scholars visited Afghanistan last June and held extensive meetings with Taliban scholars and government leaders, where there was agreement that Islam ensured women all their rights, including the right to education and work. He also stressed that the Taliban's decision to deprive Afghan females of education increases the fallacies spread about true Islam. --SPA 15:39 LOCAL TIME 12:39 GMT 0010 www.spa.gov.sa/w1833643