Taliban Asks Shopkeepers To Behead Mannequins Because They Are 'Anti-Shariah'

In a bizarre turn of events, shopowners in Afghanistan have been asked to behead clothes shop mannequins because they are "idols" and "anti-Shariah."

The vendors of Herat province were initially asked by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to remove the mannequins completely, reported New York Post.

However, they hit back, complaining that it would cause huge financial loss, after which they were instructed to be beheaded instead, the report added, citing local media added. They claimed to have paid $100-$200 for the mannequins.

An unverified video doing the rounds on social media shows mannequins in large numbers being beheaded one after the other with a saw. "Even looking at them is against the law," a Taliban man was heard saying in the video.

Business owner Abdul Wadood Faiz Zada told Italian newspaper La Repubblica : "Each mannequin costs $100, or $80 or $70, and beheading them will be a huge financial loss.”

Another vendor said that the Taliban have not changed, and there will be restrictions once again. "They have not gained international recognition, but should they obtain it, they would bring back even stricter limitations," he was quoted by the news outlet.

This comes as the Taliban recently issued a decree banning women from featuring in advertisements.

As per the orders of Kabul municipality spokesman Nematullah Barakzai, the interim Afghan government has ordered the immediate removal of all signboards, billboards, posters from local shops as well as giant shopping malls.

There was also a directive that advised drivers to not transport women who are not wearing Hijab. Women are still not allowed to travel for more than 72 kilometers from their home unless accompanied by a male relative.

Meanwhile, the Taliban held a crackdown on alcohol, which saw the officials on Sunday pour around 3,000 liters of liquor into a canal in Kabul. Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) shared a video of the incident.

"A special operational unit of the CIA's Intelligence Unit arrested three liquor dealers in the Kart-e-Char area of Kabul with about 3,000 liters of alcohol, according to a series of credible intelligence reports. The seized liquor was destroyed and the liquor sellers were handed over to the judiciary," the tweet read.