This time, the Taliban added the mannequins in the store to the new bans. In the western province of Herat, Afghanistan, dead mannequins found in stores were beheaded, according to the instructions of the Ministry for the Promotion and Prevention of Violence.
Aziz Rahman, the head of the ministry’s department, described the mannequins as “sculptures” last week and argued that it is forbidden in Islam.
Following these words, the heads of lifeless mannequins were cut off with takbirs by the order of the Taliban yesterday. The video posted on Twitter shows the person using a chainsaw and beheading at least 10 dummies.
VIDEO: #Taliban beheading mannequins of clothing stores while saying “Allah Akbar”.
the #Taliban have ordered a series of mannequin beheadings, telling clothes shops to remove the heads of dummies that offend #Islam.
VIDEO???? pic.twitter.com/90ts6GVYhH
— Natiq Malikzada | ناطق ملکزاده (@natiqmalikzada) January 3, 2022
IT WAS TOLD TO REMOVE THE MANNEQUES COMPLETELY
Initially, the ministry had instructed stores to remove the mannequins entirely, but shopkeepers complained that this would destroy their remaining small business.
After hearing the complaints, the head of the ministry, Sheikh Aziz Rahman, decided that the mannequins should be decapitated, but store owners say it is still a significant financial loss to smash their mannequins.
Speaking to the Italian Repubblica newspaper, an Afghan shopkeeper said, “Mannequins must be covered, not cut off. The cost of each mannequin is between 80 and 100 dollars. It would be a huge financial loss to cut their heads off. There will be bans. They will bring back even stricter restrictions,” he said.