Martina Navratilova makes position clear on her "all men, all evil" remark about Taliban's ban on women's medical education

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova recently addressed the misinterpretation of a remark she made about the Taliban's latest ban on female medical students. In a passionate response to the news, Navratilova had labeled the Taliban as "evil" and allegedly extended this judgment to "all men." However, the statement led to some confusion among her followers, prompting her to clarify her words.

The issue at the center of this controversy involves the Taliban’s decision, announced on December 2, 2024, to bar women from pursuing medical education. This restriction, issued by the Taliban’s supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, added to a growing list of severe policies that have systematically undermined women's rights since the group's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021.

Navratilova’s initial comment was made in response to a video circulating on social media, showing Afghan female students being turned away from medical schools by Taliban enforcers. The Czech-American tennis icon, who is a long-time advocate for women's rights, expressed her outrage by tweeting:

"The Taliban are evil. All men. All evil."

This comment struck a chord with many who were equally appalled by the Taliban’s actions. However, it also seemingly led to confusion, with some fans interpreting her words as a blanket condemnation of all men.

Screengrab of one of the interactions from Martina Navratilova's post (x.com/Martina/status/1864002231550267531)

The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, recognizing the misunderstanding, took to X on December 4, 2024, to explain that her criticism was solely directed at the Taliban, not men in general, writing:

"For those who have any doubts—am talking about all Taliban men being evil. Not all men are evil—thought that was clear and hope it is now…"

According to the World Health Organization, Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 620 women dying per 100,000 live births.

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Martina Navratilova calls out ICC over alleged bias against Afghan women's cricket team

Martina Navratilova during the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards press conference (Image source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova took aim at the International Cricket Council (ICC), accusing its predominantly male leadership of showing favoritism toward male athletes while neglecting Afghanistan's women’s cricket team.

In June this year, Sports journalist Raf Nicholson criticized the ICC for its inaction, pointing out the stark contrast between the men’s team, which trains abroad, and the women, who are denied any opportunities to train or compete.

Navratilova echoed Nicholson's concerns by sharing her tweet and calling out the ICC for perpetuating gender inequality.

"Shame on all these men who keep giving male athletes every advantage possible denying same for women athletes."

Afghanistan is the only full-member nation of the ICC without a women’s cricket team. Since the Taliban assumed power, the country’s women’s team has been excluded from participating in international cricket events.