Arya News - A spokesperson told CBS News the men were not formally arrested but
( NewsNation ) — Four men have been detained by Taliban authorities and placed into a rehab program after dressing up as “Peaky Blinders” characters in Afghanistan.
According to the Taliban government’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, the quartet, all of whom are in their early 20s, were detained.
“They were promoting foreign culture and imitating film actors in Herat, arrested, and a rehabilitation program started for them,” ministry spokesperson Saif-ur-Islam Khyber Khyber said in a social media post.
“We are Muslims and Afghans; we have our own religion, culture, and values. Through numerous sacrifices, we have protected this country from the spread of harmful cultures, and now we are also defending it.”
Khyber told CBS News the men were not formally arrested but “only summoned and advised and released.”
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“The clothing they wore has no Afghan identity at all and does not match our culture. Secondly, their actions were an imitation of actors from a British movie. Our society is Muslim; if we are to follow or imitate someone, we should follow our righteous religious predecessors in good and lawful matters,” he added.
The Taliban took over the country in August of 2021 and has barred women from most public spaces, including parks, jobs and universities.
In October, spokesperson Molvi Mohammad Sadiq Akif cited the failure of women to observe the proper way to wear the hijab, or Islamic headscarf, as a key reason for the law.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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