in Herat, the Taliban ask traders to behead mannequins in their stores

It’s a decision that is added to a series of measures by the Taliban to impose on the country their rigorous vision of Islam, limiting public freedoms, especially women and girls. The Taliban have ordered clothing vendors in Herat, western Afghanistan, to behead mannequins in their stores, which they consider to be contrary to their interpretation of Islamic law. “We have asked the traders to cut off the heads of the mannequins, as this goes against the (Islamic) law of the Sharia”Aziz Rahman, head of the Department for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Herat, the country’s third largest city with about 600,000 inhabitants, confirmed Wednesday January 5 to AFP.

“If they just cover the head, or hide the (entire) mannequin, the angel of Allah will not come into their store or their house to bless them”he continued, adding that the clothing vendors promised they would obey. A video showing men sawing the heads of female plastic mannequins has been circulating widely on social media since Tuesday. The Taliban have not yet issued any national directives regarding these plastic mannequins, in conflict with their strict interpretation of Islamic law, which prohibits the depiction of human figures.

During their first reign in the 1990s, the Taliban shocked the world with the destruction of two Buddah statues. Since their return to power in Afghanistan, the Taliban, who seek to be recognized by the international community and would like the return of the humanitarian aid crucial for Afghanistan, say they are more moderate.

But Islamists have since imposed several restrictions, especially on women and girls. They announced that women wishing to travel long distances should be accompanied by a male relative and called on taxi drivers to accept women in their vehicles only if they wear the “Islamic veil”. The Taliban authorities have also increased searches for alcohol and banned music.