RASC News Agency: Reports from Daykundi indicate that the Taliban have imposed stringent restrictions on barbershops across the province, prohibiting haircuts or beard grooming that deviate from their interpretation of Islamic norms. According to local sources, the Taliban have warned that individuals adopting “Western-style” haircuts will face arrest, mandating that hairstyles conform to those of Taliban members. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in Daykundi has stated that its enforcers have instructed barbers in the city of Nili to cease offering “Western” haircuts, shaving beards, or trimming them below a fist-length. These practices, the ministry claims, are in violation of Islamic principles and constitute “clear and major sins.”
In a statement released on Monday, January 13, the ministry declared that these prohibitions are explicitly outlined in the Taliban’s code of virtue and vice, which citizens are obligated to follow. The statement further emphasized that disobedience to these directives is “unforgivable.” The ministry also disclosed that its officials have conducted inspections of gyms in Nili, advising athletes to ensure their “Awrah” (parts of the body that must remain covered under Islamic teachings) are concealed during workouts. Athletes were specifically instructed that their knees are part of the awrah and must be covered at all times.
Additionally, the Taliban ordered athletes to vacate sports facilities and head to mosques upon hearing the call to prayer, reinforcing the primacy of religious obligations over all other activities. Similar decrees have been issued in Kabul and other provinces, where the Taliban mandated that haircuts must align with their prescribed styles, explicitly banning “Western” or “non-Islamic” grooming practices. The Taliban’s virtue patrols have enforced these rules with zeal, detaining or harassing individuals who violate the regulations, including those who shave their beards or trim them below the prescribed length.
