In the latest directives from the Taliban, who have been in control of Afghanistan since mid-August, the group has issued guidelines to barbers. According to a recent announcement by the group's officials in Helmand province in the south of the country, barbers are prohibited from shaving beards or playing music in their shops while working.
Local authorities in the southern province clarified in a statement issued on Sunday, circulated to barbershops, that from this day forward, shaving beards and playing music in barbershops or public baths is strictly forbidden. They also threatened immediate punishment for offenders, adding that those affected will not have the right to file any complaints.
This announcement adds to a series of measures recently enforced by the Taliban, reviving the specter of the past when they ruled the country during the 1990s, imposing a strict regime on Afghans and implementing their extremist laws. Although officials in the movement had recently hinted at a possible softening of their policies, the realities on the ground do not suggest this.
Just days ago, one of the group's founders confirmed that executions and amputations would return, and on Saturday, Taliban members displayed corpses in Herat city as they paraded them through the streets. Additionally, the Taliban recently closed several music institutes and have yet to reopen schools for girls. They also previously requested that female employees in several areas refrain from returning to their workplaces for the time being.
These measures increase concerns among the international community, which has repeatedly emphasized the need to respect human and women's rights in the country as part of the conditions for recognizing and engaging with the Taliban officially.
