The Afghan morality ministry asserts that the services violate Islam and have a negative impact on the economy.
The Taliban’s Virtue and Vice Ministry claimed on Thursday that eyebrow shaping, using other people’s hair, and wearing makeup interfere with the mandatory ablutions before prayers, which led to a contentious decision to close down women’s beauty shops all over Afghanistan.
Additionally, it is usual for the bride’s family and other female relatives to pay for pre-wedding salon appointments, which adds additional financial strain, according to Sadiq Akif Mahjer, spokesman for the morality ministry, according to AP.
Human rights advocates have criticized the action, while the Taliban asserts that the government has taken all necessary measures for the “betterment” of women’s lives in Afghanistan in order to “provide them with a comfortable and prosperous life according to the Islamic Shariah.”
“Under the rule of the Islamic Emirate, concrete measures have been taken to save women from many traditional oppressions, including forced marriages, and their Shariah rights have been protected,” stated Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader.
Since taking over Afghanistan in August 2021 during the failed US troop pullout, the Islamist group has been bringing all facets of Afghan life in accordance with its rigorous interpretation of Islam. Girls are not allowed to continue their education above the sixth grade, and women are not allowed in some professions or public areas like gyms and parks because of harsh Taliban rules. Women are expected to hide their faces in public and travel with a male companion.
