Status: 04.01.2022 4:56 p.m.
Since they came to power, the Taliban in Afghanistan have in some cases imposed strict rules on public life. Now it is also affecting the fashion industry: mannequins are un-Islamic and should disappear in the long term.
In Afghanistan, the ruling Islamist Taliban have imposed further strict regulations: fashion stores in the west of the country have been asked to behead mannequins. These are idols and therefore un-Islamic, said Asisul Rahman, a provincial representative of the newly created Ministry for the Preservation of Virtue, the news agency dpa. “They have to be eliminated,” Rahman explained. Initially, however, it should suffice to behead the mannequins.
The head of the competent chamber of commerce in Herat province, Abdul Wadud Faissada, complained about the new instruction. The shopkeepers would have spent a lot of money on the mannequins. The economy in Afghanistan is in free fall and millions of people in the country are starving. The models are also not idols, but are set up to display clothing. “You can find it in shops in all Islamic countries,” said Faissada.
Above all, women’s rights are curtailed
Videos were circulating on social media showing the heads of mannequins being sawed off. In the past few weeks, the Taliban had already issued ever stricter regulations for public life. Most recently, for example, drivers were instructed not to play music in the vehicle.
In addition, women should not be allowed to travel more than 45 miles (about 72 kilometers) without a male companion. Most secondary schools for girls are still closed. In many cases women can no longer go back to their jobs. Many have fled the country since the Islamists came to power in August 2021.