"Jeans Are Not Islamic Attire," Taliban Beat Pedestrians on the Street

An Afghan citizen said that the Taliban are beating people with sticks for wearing clothes reminiscent of Western culture, such as jeans, on social networking services (SNS). Photo by Twitter

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The Islamic militant group Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan (Afgan), reportedly beat a citizen wearing jeans on the street simply for dressing in Western-style clothing, according to the British daily newspaper The Telegraph on the 22nd (local time).

According to the report, videos presumed to show Taliban members have been posted on social networking services (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter, depicting them mercilessly swinging sticks at Afghan pedestrians dressed in Western-style clothing like jeans instead of traditional attire.

Moreover, Afghan youths have posted on SNS complaining that they were beaten by Taliban members for wearing jeans, claiming "jeans are not Islamic clothing."

They stated that while walking with friends in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, they encountered Taliban members; two of their group fled, but the others were subjected to beatings, whipping, and threats with gun barrels by the Taliban.

Woman wearing a burqa [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Telegraph also reported that since the Taliban's occupation of Afghanistan, the price of burqas?the traditional garment worn by Islamic women in Kabul to cover their entire body?has surged.

This is because rumors are spreading that the Taliban threaten women who go out without properly covering their bodies, sending them back home, or even executing women who do not wear burqas. As a result, the demand for burqas has sharply increased, with prices rising from 200 Afghanis (approximately 3,000 KRW) to as much as 3,000 Afghanis (about 45,000 KRW) per piece.

A woman working in Kabul revealed on Twitter, "On the 22nd, the Taliban gathered all employees and fired only the women," adding, "They cited unfavorable circumstances for women as the reason."

She continued, "They repeated such actions even in the 1990s," and said, "Back then, they erased the presence of women in society under the pretext of security; what is different this time?"

The Telegraph assessed that the situation is similar to the Taliban's previous rule (1996?2001) before the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.