- Feb 8, 2001
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Since coming to power in 1996, the Taliban has issued a
series of measures seeking to impose their interpretation
of Islam on the country. Select from the menu above for
a few examples:
Prayer
Failure to pray to Allah five times a day -- a requirement of
the Muslim religion -- is punishable by imprisonment.
Women and driving
Drivers are prohibited from giving rides to women. Violators
are subject to imprisonment.
Preventing idolatry
Portraits -- paintings and photos -- are said to promote
idolatry and must be destroyed under the law.
Women and work
Women are banned from working outside the home except in
the health sector. In hospitals, women are separated from their
male colleagues.
Women and education
The Taliban forbids the education of women until institutions
segregating them from men are established. Informal education
of women can be punishable by law. For men, at least a
sixth-grade education is required.
Entertainment
Music, except for religious chants, is prohibited in shops, hotels
and vehicles, and at weddings and parties. Kite flying is
considered "useless" and an obstacle to education. Hobbies
like keeping pigeons also are forbidden.
Gambling
Forbidden and punishable by at least a month in prison.
Beards and barbers
Men who trim or shave their beards -- considered a sign of
Islamic piety -- are imprisoned until their beard grows out.
Taliban religious police have been known to employ "the fist
rule." A beard must be long enough to be held in a fist. Barbers
are banned from giving "American-style" haircuts.
Public bathing
The Taliban shut public bathhouses for men and women, even
though most Afghans lack running water. The Taliban says
Islam forbids men and women to publicly display their bodies.
Found this on a site...think they are a bit extreme...At least it will make them easier to find....hairy men in the desert who do not bathe...we can follow our noses...