Taliban ban barbers from trimming beards in Afghanistan

The Taliban have banned hairdressers in Afghanistan’s Helmand province from shaving or trimming beards, saying it breaches their interpretation of Islamic law, reports the BBC.

“Anyone violating the rule will be punished,” Taliban religious police say. Some barbers in the capital, Kabul have said they also received similar orders.

The instructions suggest a return to the strict rulings of the group’s past tenure in power.

In a notice posted at salons, Taliban officers warned that hairdressers must follow Sharia law for haircuts and beards.

“No one has a right to complain,” the notice stated, which was seen by the BBC.

“Stop following American styles,” said another hairdresser, who received a call from someone claiming to be a government official. 

A barber said that although he has not received an official order, he stopped offering beard trims.

“Customers don’t shave their beards because they don’t want to be targeted by the Taliban fighters in the streets. They want to blend in and look like them,” he said.