Afghanistan: “Stop shaving, trimming beards,” Taliban orders barbers in Helmand!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: War-torn Afghanistan may soon have the dubious distinction of living in the Stone Age at a time many countries are toiling to enter the Space Age.
For, Islamist militia Taliban, which returned to power on August 15 after two decades of insurrection, and banned women and girls from offices and schools, have now ordered barbers’ saloons and hairdressers to stop shaving men!
While the Islamists have announced harsh punishments for violators of its fiats, in this case, it is unclear what barbers will face if they do not adhere to the no-shaving or trimming order.
Since they retook control of Kabul on August 15, the Taliban have already banned singing and music (including female voices and musical instruments), IPL, kite-flying and sportswomen, among others.
On Monday, the Taliban banned barbershops in a southern Afghanistan province of Helmand from shaving or trimming beards, claiming their edict is in line with Shariah, or Islamic law.
Helmand’s Vice and Virtue Department ordered barbers in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital to stop trimming or shaving beards, media reports said.
During their previous rule of Afghanistan (1996-2001), the Taliban adhered to a harsh interpretation of Islam. Since overrunning Kabul last month and retaking control of the country, no country—not even Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or China, which were the only countries to recognize their government then—has officially recognized the Taliban government.
Their bizarre announcements have alerted the world which is watching to see whether 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 in the public squares of the western city of Herat.
In the latest order to the barbers, the Taliban diktat said: “If anyone violates the rule (they) will be punished and no one has a right to complain.” It wasn’t immediately clear what penalties the barbers could face if they ignore it.
During the Taliban’s previous rule, the conservative Islamists had directed all men to grow beards. Since their ousted from power following the US-led invasion in 2001, shaved or cleanly trimmed beards became popular in the country.
Clearly, a new crop of unemployed people is rising in Ahmedabad: barbers.
