Sadiq Akif Mahjer, spokesperson for the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, announced on Tuesday that all beauty salons in Afghanistan are now required to close as the one-month deadline set by the Taliban has ended. However, it is unclear whether force will be used against salons that do not comply with the edict.
This latest ruling by the Taliban further restricts the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls, adding to previous edicts that have banned them from education, public spaces, and most employment opportunities.
The Taliban justified the ban on beauty salons by claiming that they offered services that are forbidden by Islam and caused financial difficulties for grooms’ families during wedding celebrations.
The announcement of the one-month deadline sparked a rare public protest in Kabul, where beauticians and makeup artists gathered to voice their opposition. Security forces responded with aggression, using fire hoses, tasers, and firing guns into the air to disperse the protest.
International organizations have expressed concern about the impact of this ban on female entrepreneurs. The United Nations has been engaging with Afghan authorities in an effort to have the prohibition reversed. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports the call by the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to halt the closure of beauty salons.
The Taliban provided a list of salon services that it deemed to be in violation of Islam, including eyebrow shaping, the use of others’ hair to enhance a woman’s natural hair, and the application of makeup, which is seen as interfering with the requirements for prayer.
Traditionally, grooms’ families have been expected to cover the costs of salon visits for brides and their female relatives before weddings.
The decision to ban beauty salons has far-reaching consequences beyond just hair and nails. It entails 60,000 women losing their jobs and deprives them of one of the few spaces where they could find community and support after the Taliban destroyed the support system for domestic violence victims, according to Heather Barr, associate women’s rights director for Human Rights Watch.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule compared to their previous time in power during the 1990s, the Taliban has implemented strict measures since taking control of Afghanistan in August 2021. They have restricted women’s access to public spaces like parks and gyms and have cracked down on media freedoms. These measures have prompted strong international criticism, further isolating the country during an economic collapse and exacerbating a humanitarian crisis.
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