The Taliban on Monday banned barbershops during a southern Afghanistan province from shaving or trimming beards, claiming their edict is in line with Shariah, or Islamic, law.
The order in Helmand province was issued by the provincial Taliban government’s vice and virtue department to barbers in Lashkar Gah, the capital .
“Since I even have heard (about the ban on trimming beards) i’m heart broken,” said Bilal Ahmad, a Lashkar Gah resident. “This is that the city and everybody follows how of living, in order that they need to be left alone to try to to whatever they need .” During their previous rule of Afghanistan, the Taliban adhered to a harsh interpretation of Islam. Since overrunning Kabul on Aug. 15 and again taking control of the country, the planet has been watching to ascertain whether or not they will re-create their strict governance of the late 1990s, Some indication came on Saturday, when Taliban fighters killed four alleged kidnappers and later hung their bodies within the public squares of the western city of Herat.
“If anyone violates the rule (they) are going to be punished and nobody features a right to complain,” said the note issued to the barbers. It wasn’t immediately clear what penalties the barbers could face if they do not adhere to the no shaving or trimming rule.
During the Taliban’s previous rule, the conservative Islamists demanded that men grow beards. Since being ousted from power following the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, shaved or cleanly trimmed beards became popular within the country.
Barbershop owner Sher Afzal in Lashkar Gah said the decree hurts rock bottom line. “If someone comes for a haircut, they’re going to come to us after 40 to 45 days, so it’s affecting our business like all other businesses,” he said.
