Islamabad-
On Thursday, the Taliban announced the ban on women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan because they provide services that are prohibited by Islam and have caused economic hardship to the families of the bride and groom during wedding celebrations.
The explanation came days after the group confirmed it would give all salons in the country a month to wind down operations and close stores, sparking concern among international officials worried about the impact on female consumers.
The decision is the latest restriction on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following edicts banning them from education, public places and most forms of work.
In a video posted on Thursday, Sadiq Akif Mahjar, spokesman for the Ministry of Virtue and the Taliban-run agency, recounted a series of salons offering services he said were contrary to Islam. He indicated that this includes shaping eyebrows, using other people’s hair to enlarge women’s natural hair, and applying makeup that interferes with the required ablution before performing prayers.
He added that the salons cause economic pressure on the families of the bride and groom, who demand, according to custom, to pay the bride and her relatives’ visit fees to the pre-wedding salon.
The ban comes days after Taliban supreme leader Hebatullah Akhundzada said his government had taken steps to improve the lives of women in Afghanistan.
Amina Sharifi, who owns a salon in Kabul, said she is the sole breadwinner in her family, because her husband, a former police officer, has been unemployed since the Taliban took power in August 2021.
“The beauty salon was our only source of income, and now I don’t know what to do? How do we pay our expenses?” says the mother of four.
She said that the families of three other women who worked for her would lose their income.
