Taliban morality police are pressuring shopkeepers in Herat to grow long beards, in accordance with their strict interpretation of the Sharia law, local sources said on Friday.
Sources told Amu TV said Taliban morality police have recently entered shops in central Herat, threatening those with short beards.
According to the sources, the enforcers took photos of the shopkeepers and warned they would return in a month to compare their facial hair growth to the original images.
One source, who requested anonymity, said Taliban officials stated that if a man’s beard does not reach the length of a fist, he would be detained.
Residents of Herat say the move is part of the Taliban’s increasing surveillance over personal appearance and private life, which has intensified in recent weeks.
The Taliban leader recently at a gathering in Kandahar this week claimed that the people of Afghanistan had become unfamiliar with “Islamic Sharia” during the 20 years of the previous government’s rule.
During their first period in power in the 1990s, the Taliban imposed strict religious and social rules, including mandatory long beards for men and extensive restrictions on women.
Human rights organizations have expressed growing concern over increasing violations of personal and social freedoms under Taliban rule.
