Taliban issue no-shave order to barbers in Afghan province

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban connected Monday banned barbershops successful a confederate Afghanistan state from shaving oregon trimming beards, claiming their edict is successful enactment with Shariah, oregon Islamic, law.

The bid successful Helmand state was issued by the provincial Taliban government’s vice and virtuousness section to barbers successful Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

“Since I person heard (about the prohibition connected trimming beards) I americium bosom broken,” said Bilal Ahmad, a Lashkar Gah resident. “This is the metropolis and everyone follows a mode of living, truthful they person to beryllium near unsocial to bash immoderate they want.”

During their erstwhile regularisation of Afghanistan, the Taliban adhered to a harsh mentation of Islam. Since overrunning Kabul connected Aug. 15 and again taking power of the country, the satellite has been watching to spot whether they volition re-create their strict governance of the precocious 1990s.

Some denotation came connected Saturday, erstwhile Taliban fighters killed 4 alleged kidnappers and aboriginal hung their bodies successful the nationalist squares of the occidental metropolis of Herat.

“If anyone violates the regularisation (they) volition beryllium punished and nary 1 has a close to complain,” said the bid issued to the barbers. It wasn’t instantly wide what penalties the barbers could look if they don’t adhere to the nary shaving oregon trimming rule.

During the Taliban’s erstwhile rule, the blimpish Islamists demanded that men turn beards. Since being ousted from powerfulness pursuing the U.S.-led penetration successful 2001, shaved oregon cleanly trimmed beards person go fashionable successful the country.

Barbershop proprietor Jalaluddin, who similar galore Afghans goes by lone 1 name, said helium hoped the Taliban would reconsider their demands.

“I petition our Taliban brothers to springiness state to radical to unrecorded the mode they want, if they privation to trim their beard oregon hair,” helium said. “Now we person fewer clients coming to us, they are scared, they don’t privation to trim their hairsbreadth oregon beards, truthful I petition them fto radical free, truthful we person our concern and radical tin freely travel to us.”

Another barbershop owner, Sher Afzal, besides said the decree hurts the bottommost line. “If idiosyncratic comes for a haircut, they volition travel backmost to america aft 40 to 45 days, truthful it is affecting our concern similar immoderate different businesses,” helium said.