Four Afghan men were ordered to report to the Taliban’s Department of Vice and Virtue for wearing three-piece suits and flat caps inspired by the British television series Peaky Blinders. A spokesman said their outfits were “in conflict with Afghan and Islamic values.”
The men, all in their early twenties from the town of Jibrail in Herat province, were summoned on Sunday after videos of them posing in the distinct, early 20th-century British-style attire circulated online. They presented themselves for questioning in Herat the following day.
While they were not formally arrested, a provincial spokesman, Saiful Islam Khyber, told the BBC that they underwent a “rehabilitation programme.” Khyber explained that while even Western jeans might be tolerated, the Peaky Blinders style was unacceptable because “the values in the series are against Afghan culture.”
“The clothing they wore has no Afghan identity at all,” he said. “Our society is Muslim; if we are to follow or imitate someone, we should follow our righteous religious predecessors.”
In a video released by the ministry after their questioning, one of the men stated, “I have innocently been sharing content that was against Sharia,” and promised not to do “anything like this” again. The circumstances under which the statement was recorded remain unclear.
Just weeks before the summons, in a November interview with a local YouTube channel, the friends said they admired the show’s fashion and had received positive reactions in public. “People liked our style, stopped us in the streets, and wanted to take photos with us,” one said.
Since retaking power in 2021, the Taliban have enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, imposing numerous restrictions on daily life and personal expression, with the morality police actively policing public behavior and attire.
By James Kisoo
