The Taliban has arrested a British couple in their 70s for teaching parenting skills to mothers, it has been alleged. Peter and Barbie Reynolds have run training programs in schools for nearly 20 years in Afghanistan and they continued their work even after the Taliban swept back to power in 2021.
Their activities in Afghanistan appeared to have approval from the new regime, as Barbie Reynolds was the first woman to be issued with a state certificate of appreciation. Nevertheless, they were arrested on February 1. Police apprehended Mr and Mrs Reynolds as they headed to their home in Nayak, Bamiyan province, with a Chinese-American friend, Faye Hall, who had made plans to rent a private plane to fly back from Kabul with the couple.
The property was raided and the couple's employees were interrogated. Police apparently pressed them on whether they were missionaries, a suggestion which the couple's children have refuted. Initially, Mr and Mrs Reynolds kept in touch with their family by text message, saying they were fine and being held by the interior ministry. But their texts stopped after three days, leaving their children deeply concerned.
The couple's daughter Sarah Entwistle, from Daventry, Northamptonshire, told The Sunday Times: "This is really bad. My mother is 75 and my father almost 80 and [he] needs his heart medication after a mini-stroke. "They were just trying to help the country they loved. The idea they are being held because they were teaching mothers with children is outrageous.”.
Along with her three brothers, Ms Entwhistle wrote an open letter to senior Taliban leaders calling for the release of their parents, and pointing out they have dual Afghan- British citizenship and they had placed their trust in the new regime. The couple's children added they did not understand the reasons for their arrest and highlighted their parents' ongoing programs in five schools in Kabul, with sessions on participatory learning, learning through play and communication skills.
One program focused on parenting skills for mothers and had supposedly been approved by local authorities despite a Taliban ban on women's education. Most westerners left Afghanistan after the Taliban resumed control of the nation in August 2021, but Mr and Mrs Reynolds stayed put and even delivered a presentation to Taliban leaders about their schools programs.
Ms Entwhistle added: "They said they could not leave when Afghans were in their hour of need. They were meticulous about keeping by the rules even as they kept changing. "The Taliban leaders were so impressed and inspired by the programmes Mum and Dad were offering, they said they would like them set up in every province of Afghanistan. Mum was the first woman to receive 'a certificate of appreciation; from the Taliban.".
