Local sources in Afghanistan’s northern provinces of Balkh say the Taliban’s Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has warned male barbers to stop shaving customers’ beards, threatening imprisonment for violations.
According to the sources, officials from the department held a meeting with male barbers in Balkh on Tuesday (December 30), where they warned that shaving a customer’s beard could result in up to 15 months in prison.
Several barbers told KabulNow newspaper that Taliban officials warned them they would be directly referred to the group’s judicial authorities if arrested while shaving beards and would face imprisonment without further warning.
The barbers also said they were instructed not to cut men’s hair in what Taliban described as “Western styles.”
Under the Taliban’s Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of vice, shaving men’s beards is prohibited. Since the law was approved, the group has repeatedly detained young men in various cities across Afghanistan for shaving or trimming their beards.
The Taliban have also on multiple occasions detained barbers accused of shaving beards or offering hairstyles deemed inappropriate, temporarily shutting down their businesses for several days.
