Taliban obliges government employees to wear loincloths and long beards.
In the latest restrictive measure, the Taliban group has required all government employees to wear a turban or loincloth and have long beards.
Sources from the Presidential Administration told the media that the order came into effect on August 02, and employees who refuse to comply will be dismissed from their duties.
Officials say such orders are a clear sign of the deepening extremism in the country’s administrative structure.
Wearing a specific type of clothing, once considered a cultural and personal choice, has now become a tool to impose thought and suppress individual freedoms.
In addition to these pressures, women continue to be the main target of severe restrictions, from bans on education and work to bans on movement in public places.
Local sources say that even for basic needs such as going to the pharmacy, women face threats and obstacles.
Religious scholars have also warned in response to the situation. Maulana Burhanuddin Mohammadi has said that no authentic Islamic text prescribes depriving women of education or health.
At the same time, the forced performance of religious ceremonies under the supervision of the forces of the cause of public order also continues. Congregational prayers, compulsory attendance and special hours are all under surveillance, and the spirit of worship has become a tool of control.
“Religion without authority is a tool of force, not a path to salvation,” warns Dr. Ahmad Shoaib, an Afghan Islamist.
Afghanistan is currently on the brink of social and psychological collapse. Poverty, intimidation, censorship, and injustice have reduced people’s hope to the lowest possible level.
In such a situation, the silence of the international community is not only complicity with tyranny, but also a betrayal of human values.
