The Taliban reportedly ordered Tuesday beauty salons throughout Afghanistan must shut down operations within a month.
Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, a spokesperson for the regime’s Ministry for the Prevention of Vice and Propagation of Virtue, confirmed the veracity of a letter announcing the ban, according to The Associated Press (AP). The regime’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, reportedly dictated the contents of the letter, which reportedly gave no reason for the ban.
“UNAMA calls on the de facto authorities to halt the edict closing beauty salons. This new restriction on women’s rights will impact negatively on the economy&contradicts stated support for women entrepreneurship. UNAMA remains engaged w/stakeholders seeking reversal of the bans,” The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) tweeted.
UNAMA calls on the de facto authorities to halt the edict closing beauty salons. This new restriction on women’s rights will impact negatively on the economy&contradicts stated support for women entrepreneurship. UNAMA remains engaged w/stakeholders seeking reversal of the bans.
— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) July 4, 2023
“Day by day (the Taliban) are imposing limitations on women,” an unnamed salon owner told The AP.
“Why are they only targeting women? Aren’t we human? Don’t we have the right to work or live?”
The woman reportedly said she was her family’s sole breadwinner following her husband’s death in a 2017 car bombing, according to The AP.
Beauty salons, last banned during the years of Taliban rule before the US-led invasion of 2001, reopened under the US-led occupation of Afghanistan, the BBC noted. They remained open after the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban’s return in 2021, albeit with windows often covered up and images of women outside salons spray painted to hide their faces.
The ban followed a raft of other restrictions on women in Afghanistan, including bans from classrooms, public recreation, United Nations (UN) employment, unchaperoned travel and adherence to a strict dress code, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). (RELATED: US Sees 1,000% Surge In Migrants From Afghanistan, China)
The regime said it respected women’s rights in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and Afghan customs, according to NBC News.