According to a media source, the new Taliban administration in Afghanistan’s Helmand region has forbidden hairdressers from shaving or trimming beards. According to The Frontier Post, “the Taliban have prohibited trendy haircuts and cutting beards in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan,” citing a Taliban letter.
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Barbers in the region have been prohibited from shaving and trimming men’s beards by the Taliban because it “violates Islamic law.” According to the magazine, in a meeting with representatives of men’s hairdressing shops in the province capital, Lashkar Gah, authorities from the Ministry of Islamic Orientation recommended against styling hair and cutting beards.
According to The Frontier Post, the directive, widely circulated on social media, also included a request that no music or hymns be played on the premises of hair salons. Barbers in the region say the restriction has made it harder for them to make a career since residents are now attempting to “blend in” to avoid Taliban fighters.
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Despite their promises to the contrary, the Taliban have begun to reintroduce oppressive laws and policies. They enacted rules that characterized their reign from 1996 to 2001 when they implemented Islamic Sharia law. The Taliban had previously shown the remains of four persons who were slain after they reportedly carried out an abduction in the western city of Herat, amid accusations of widespread human rights violations by the group in Afghanistan. After an aggressive and quick assault against Afghan government forces after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country, the Taliban seized Kabul more than a month ago.
