No beard, no fighting for you. That was the stern message delivered by the Taliban’s morality ministry Tuesday after more than 280 members of the Afghanistan security force were dismissed for committing “hairstyle violations” by failing to grow sufficient amounts of facial hair as required under Islamic law.
Police detained a further 13,000 people in the country for “immoral acts” in the past year, Reuters reports.
The Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue said in its annual operations update that around half of those detained had been let go after 24 hours with stern warnings to do better in the facial hair department issued to security force personnel let go.
It did not break down the type of the alleged offences or gender of the detainees.
File/Taliban fighters proudly show off their luxuriant facial hair while shouting slogans at the Ahmad Shah Massoud square to celebrate the anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan. (WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)
The Islamist terrorist group has also destroyed 21,328 musical instruments in Afghanistan over the past year in campaign to enforce Sharia law.
Mohibullah Mokhlis, the director of planning and legislation at the ministry, told a press conference in Kabul that “281 beardless officers were identified, confirmed and dismissed” from the country’s security services in the past 12 months.
“The hairstyles of 450 military mujahideen were corrected to comply with Sharia law,” he added.
“And some who repeated the [hairstyle] violation were sent to military courts.”
The Daily Telegraph reports the Taliban has prohibited barbers in several provinces from shaving or trimming beards, claiming that the edict aligns with Sharia law.
It is mandatory for Muslim men to have a beard that is at least the “length of a fist”, according to Islamic law, which is strictly upheld by the Taliban.