Taliban advise Ghazni youth to grow beard, avoid smartphones

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): A number of residents of southern Ghazni province say the Taliban have asked them to grow bread and avoid using smart phones, but the group denies.

Taliban militants took control of 16 of total 18 districts of Ghazni province in the last two months.

People living in areas under the Taliban control say that Taliban had asked them to grow beard.

A resident of Qarabagh district, Noor Agha, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Taliban had asked them to grow beard during Eid-ul-Adha prayer gathering and in the recent days.

“Taliban also told barbers not to trim people’s beards and anyone violated the order would face a serious punishment,” he said. The Taliban also told people not to wear stylish clothes, he added.

Sayed Ahmad, a resident of Deh Yak district of Ghazni province, said that Taliban in their area also told people to grow beard and avoid using smartphones.

“Taliban told people that shaving beard is an act against Islam and no one should do it, and youths should also not use smartphones because it can mislead them,” he said.

A resident of Gilan district, Abdullah Gul held similar views and said, “But they (Taliban) are not serious, they advised people to grow bread because it has more rewards.”

A number of other people made similar expressions and said that Taliban by such practices would pressure people and force them to migrate to foreign countries

Amanullah Kamran, deputy head of Ghazni provincial council, said that Taliban in some areas had asked people to grow beard but they had not made any official announcement.

Ghazni officials declined to comment on the regard.

On the other hand, a Taliban spokesman, ZabihullahMujahid told Pajhwok that the group did not seriously ask people to grow beard or avoid using smartphones.

“Clerics probably advised people in mosques to grow beard for its rewards, but nothing seriously told on the regard,” he said.

People in the Taliban regime were forced to grow beard and anyone with shaved beards were lashed or kept in detention until their beard was grown enough.

mds/ma