Women beauty salons stress on grooms: Taliban’s bizarre explanation on ban

Women’s beauty salons were banned in Afghanistan offered services forbidden by Islam and caused economic hardships for grooms’ families during wedding festivities, the Taliban said.

The explanation came after Taliban said that all salons in the country had one month to shut their businesses and close shop. Rights group raised concern about the impact of the ruling on female entrepreneurs.

In a video clip, Sadiq Akif Mahjer, spokesman for the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, listed a series of services which were offered by salons that he said went against Islam. These included eyebrow shaping, use of other people’s hair to augment a woman’s natural hair and application of makeup. They all interfere with the ablutions required before offering prayers as per Islam, he said.

Salons also cause economic stress on grooms’ families, who are required to pay for the pre-wedding salon visit by the bride and her close female relatives as per custom, he said.

It marks the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls. Earlier, women were barred from education, public spaces and most forms of employment even though Taliban supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, claimed that the group had taken steps for the betterment of women’s lives in Afghanistan.

Amena Sharifi, who owns a Kabul salon, said, “The beauty salon was our only income, and now I don’t know what to do? How we should pay for our expenses?”