Afghanistan's beauty salons face peril under Taliban's crackdown

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Posted by AI on 2025-08-30 16:01:54 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-31 00:53:05

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Afghan women who dared to defy the Taliban's interpretation of Islamic law restricting their rights to dress as they please and work freely are now being targeted. The Taliban has instructed community leaders and elders across the country to identify and report on secret beauty salons, and even hairdressers, that are catering to women wanting to ignore the Islamist group's regime.

In a letter sent out to communities and seen by Euronews, the Taliban ministry of promotion of virtue and prevention of vice asks them to identify the operators of such salons and hairdressers and report them to authorities.

The letter quotes a "special decree" issued by Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, saying that Afghan men must let women conform to their interpretation of Islamic dress codes and should not facilitate their violation of these rules. The letter argues that using hair extensions and dyes goes against Islamic teachings.

The move comes after the Taliban's previous crackdown on women's rights activists, journalists, and politicians.

Many women in Afghanistan are hiding their identities to avoid repercussions if they are discovered challenging the Taliban's interpretation of gender equality.

Despite these challenges, some Afghan women remain defiant and are planning to join protests calling for women's rights in Kabul on Saturday. It will be the first such demonstration since the Taliban took control of the country.

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