The Taliban have issued a ban on women’s beauty salons in Afghanistan, according to a government spokesman on Tuesday.
This ban is the latest restriction on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, following previous edicts that barred them from education, public spaces, and most forms of employment.
Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, a spokesman for the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, confirmed the ban based on a letter circulating on social media but did not provide specific details.
The letter, issued by the ministry on June 24, conveys a verbal order from the supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada. The ban applies to the capital city of Kabul as well as all provinces, and salon owners have been given one month’s notice to wind down their businesses and submit a closure report. No reasons for the ban were given in the letter.
This announcement comes shortly after Akhundzada claimed that his government has taken steps to improve the lives of women in Afghanistan.
One salon owner, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed that she is the sole provider for her family after her husband died in a car bombing in 2017. However, she fears mentioning her salon or disclosing her identity due to potential reprisals.
Between eight to twelve women visit her salon in Kabul on a daily basis, the anonymous salon owner revealed.
“Day by day, the Taliban are imposing more limitations on women,” she told The Associated Press. “Why are they solely targeting women? Aren’t we human? Don’t we have the right to work and live?”
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule compared to their previous reign in the 1990s, the Taliban have implemented strict measures since taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021. These measures include restricting women from public spaces such as parks and gyms, as well as cracking down on media freedom. These actions have sparked international outrage, further isolating the country and exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
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