Taliban bans mannequin heads citing religious issue

Shops in Afghanistan's western Herat province have been removing the head of display mannequins after the Taliban regime ordered them to do so.

Taliban authorities recently issued an order asking shopkeepers to hack the heads off their mannequins because "they are idols."

He went on to explain that Islam prohibits idolatry or the worshipping of idols, VOA reported. Taliban, which took control of Kabul on August 15, appears to be on a spree, imposing harsh rules and prohibitions.

Obeidullah Yari, a local business community leader, told VOA on Monday that about 20 percent of the shops in the provincial capital, also named Herat, have already implemented the order to escape punishment.

The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention Vice, which is responsible for administering the Taliban's interpretation of Islam, decreed last week that shop mannequins should have their heads removed for being offensive to Islam, warning that violators would be punished.

City mall owners and garment sellers initially criticized the Taliban directive, telling Afghan media that mannequins were also used to display clothes in other Islamic counties. But Yari said shopkeepers were now removing the heads of the dummies.

Aziz Rahman, the provincial head of the ministry, told local media he ordered shopkeepers to hack the heads off their mannequins because "they are idols." He went on to explain that Islam prohibits idolatry or the worshipping of idols.

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, in a recent interview to Afghan state television, defended the steps taken by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention Vice, saying they should not be a matter of concern for anyone because "Afghanistan is Muslim nation and no one is opposed to Islamic laws in the country."

The government has allowed schoolboys to return to classes but girls across many Afghan provinces are still waiting for permission to do so and most women have been prevented from returning to work.