Taliban authorities in the southern province of Helmand have prohibited barbers from shaving or trimming beards of men. Reports indicate that some barbers in Kabul have received similar instructions from the new administration.
The instructions are issued by the Taliban department for “promoting virtue and prohibiting vice.” Hairdressers have been asked to “follow Shariah law” by the notice issued in Helmand. It adds, “No one has a right to complain.” Barbers who violate this are warned of punishment.
Many have feared that the Taliban might go back to their strict patterns of governance and moral policing from the 1990s. Restrictions from that era included strict rules that ensured men grew beards.
Assurances from the Taliban that they will be more mild this time around have been seen in the light of reports that harsh punishments for various alleged crimes are being reintroduced, along with restrictions on female students and a general rise in moral policing of the public.
Barbers in other parts of the country have begun to refuse shaves to customers despite no immediate orders, to avoid any trouble with the new administration.
