Taliban Enforces Strict Sharia Laws
In a bid to enforce strict Sharia law, the Taliban has dismissed hundreds of security personnel in Afghanistan for their inability to grow beards. According to the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, 281 officers were identified and removed over the past year for failing to meet the mandatory beard requirements. Additionally, 450 others were reprimanded for non-compliant hairstyles, with repeat offenders facing military courts.
This crackdown is part of the Taliban’s broader campaign to enforce Sharia law, which includes prohibiting barbers from shaving or trimming beards. Islamic law dictates that Muslim men must have beards at least the length of a fist, with shorter beards or clean-shaven faces considered haram.
Former Taliban officers have reported being harassed and eventually dismissed for their inability to grow beards. “I was repeatedly told I wasn’t a true Muslim because of my lack of facial hair,” said one sacked officer. “They wouldn’t allow me to stay, even though I joined for financial reasons.”
In a separate move, the Taliban has also destroyed over 21,000 musical instruments across Afghanistan, labeling them as “the devil’s instruments.” Jalil Ahmad, a former guitar teacher in Herat, recounted how morality forces stormed his home, confiscated his instruments, and subjected him to severe beatings for owning them.
The regime’s hardline policies extend beyond facial hair and music. Over 13,000 Afghans were detained for “immoral acts” in the past year, with half released within 24 hours. The Taliban’s restrictions on women remain a key point of international condemnation, as the group continues to ban female education, close beauty salons, and restrict women’s movement without a male guardian.
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