Mick Hartley

The Taliban latest, from the Telegraph:

The Taliban has sacked hundreds of men from Afghanistan’s security forces because they are unable to grow beards.

Thousands of musical instruments had also been destroyed by the militant group in the past year, the notorious ministry for the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice said in its annual update.

Mohibullah Mokhlis, the director of planning and legislation at the ministry, told a press conference in Kabul that “281 beardless officers were identified, confirmed and dismissed” from the country’s security services in the past 12 months.

“The hairstyles of 450 military mujahideen were corrected to comply with Sharia law,” he added. “And some who repeated the [hairstyle] violation were sent to military courts.”

The Taliban has prohibited barbers in several provinces from shaving or trimming beards, claiming that the edict aligns with Sharia law.

It is mandatory for Muslim men to have a beard that is at least the “length of a fist”, according to Islamic law, which is strictly upheld by the Taliban….

Separately, the Taliban’s regime disclosed that 21,328 musical instruments had been destroyed in the past year.

Jalil Ahmad, a former guitar teacher in the western city of Herat, recounted how morality forces had stormed his home earlier this year and beaten him for owning several musical instruments.

“They knocked on the door, and I saw them through the window. I told my family not to open it, but one of them climbed over the gate and jumped into the yard. He unlocked the door and five more officers stormed into the house,” he said.

The police ransacked his house and discovered five guitars and several other instruments.

The 31-year-old was then taken to a police station, where he said he had been severely beaten.

“They were saying, ‘The foreigners are gone and you cannot live with the devil’s instruments any more,’” he said.