KABUL: Four young Afghan men were summoned by the Taliban authorities for wearing outfits inspired by the TV series Peaky Blinders.
A Taliban spokesman said the clothing conflicted with Afghan and Islamic values. He told the BBC the culture shown in the British series goes against Afghan traditions.
Videos shared online showed the friends posing in flat caps and three-piece suits, similar to costumes worn in the show set in post-World War One England. The men were later released.
Since taking power in 2021, the Taliban have enforced strict rules on daily life under their interpretation of Islamic Sharia law. Saiful Islam Khyber, a spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Department in Herat, said even jeans could have been acceptable, but the values linked to Peaky Blinders were not.
The men, all in their early twenties, belong to Jibrail town in Herat province. They were asked to report to the so-called morality police and appeared for questioning the next day.
Khyber said they were accused of promoting foreign culture and copying film actors. He added they went through what he called a “rehabilitation programme.”
He clarified that the men were not formally arrested. They were only summoned, advised, and then released.
The Taliban official said Afghanistan has its own religious and cultural identity, especially in dress.
He added that Afghan society is Muslim and should follow its own traditions rather than foreign influences.
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