Thousands of Afghan salons close as Taliban deadline bites

Kabul, Afghanistan (AFP):

Thousands of beauty parlours across Afghanistan have been closed permanently following an order by Taliban authorities.

Since seizing power in August 2021, the Taliban government has barred girls and women from working in international NGOs, studying at high schools and universities, and now from beautifying themselves or connecting with other women at parlours.

An order issued last month forces the closure of thousands of salons nationwide run by women — often the only source of income for households and one of the few remaining places for them to gather away from home.

“We used to come here to spend time talking about our future together. Now even this right has been taken away from us,” said Bahara, a salon customer in the capital Kabul.

“Women are not allowed to enter entertainment places, so what can we do? Where can we go to enjoy ourselves? Where can we gather to meet each other?”

Last week, security officials shot into the air and used firehoses in the city to disperse dozens of women protesting against the order.

One salon owner said she had been forced to sign a letter saying she was shutting down willingly and would hand in the shop’s licence to operate.

“What can a woman do in the face of so much insistence and pressure?”

‘Un-Islamic’ 

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice announced the forced closures in June, with a grace period to allow stock to be used up.

The ministry claimed extravagant sums spent on “makeovers” caused hardship for poor families and that some treatments at the salons were ‘un-Islamic.’

Too much make-up prevented women from proper ablutions for prayer while eyelash extensions and hair weaving were also forbidden, it added.

A copy of the order seen by AFP said it was “based on verbal instruction from the supreme leader” Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Beauty parlours mushroomed across Kabul and other Afghan cities in the 20 years that US-led forces occupied the country.

The beauty parlour ban will see another 60,000 women lose their income from work at some 12,000 salons across the country, according to the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Taliban follow an extremely conservative brand of Islam, and many of their beliefs regarding women have been rejected by mainstream Islamic scholars.