6 days ago
The Taliban banned beauty salons, leaving women to labor in the shadows
KABUL — For 22-year-old Simin, new clients come with the fear of arrest.
She instructs them to park several blocks from her house and to avoid the soldiers who patrol the area. Then, she said, the newcomers make their way to an unmarked door, announcing their arrival in hushed tones.
Inside, Simin runs a hair and beauty salon for women. It was a booming business until two years ago, when Taliban authorities issued a blanket ban on salons — accusing proprietors of 'vices' that were 'prohibited in Islam.'
