• alyaza [they/she]@beehaw.orgOPM
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    2 months ago

    These first serious restrictions on men have come as a surprise to many in Afghanistan, according to a range of Afghans, including Taliban opponents, wavering supporters and even members of the Taliban regime, who spoke in phone interviews over the past two weeks. In a society where a man’s voice is often perceived as far more powerful than a woman’s, some men now wonder whether they should have spoken up sooner to defend the freedoms of their wives and daughters.

    “If men had raised their voices, we might also be in a different situation now,” said a male resident of the capital, Kabul, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity or that only their first names be used due to fears of drawing unwanted scrutiny from the regime. “Now, everyone is growing a beard because we don’t want to be questioned, humiliated,” he said.


    A 36-year old male driver in Kabul said the new restrictions feel “enormous” and pose a growing hardship for his work. His revenue has declined by 70 percent since late August, he said, partly because the Taliban has begun enforcing a rule that bans women from traveling alone in taxis.

    Even in some government offices, a new sense of dread has set in. A former Taliban supporter recalled how a friend, who still works for the regime, recently had his salary withheld because his beard wasn’t sufficiently long.

    “We are hearing that some of the civil servants, whose beards were shorter than the required length, were barred from entering their departments,” said a government employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

    • sunzu2@thebrainbin.org
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      2 months ago

      Sounds like Taliban boomers are fuxking the millenial work force.

      Reminds of the return to office the domestic regime is shillling on us.

  • ulkesh@beehaw.org
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    2 months ago

    Oh so now that the oppressive ideology and regime are affecting them, too, the men suddenly have a problem with it. Seems we’re at the “and find out” stage.

  • RotatingParts@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    If everyone stopped believing in religion (any and all religions), all these religious leaders would lose their power.

    • t3rmit3@beehaw.org
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      2 months ago

      Nah, they would just admit they were only ever in it for political power and authority, and become warlords, or a police state like us.

  • snack_pack_rodriguez@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    and the in group gets smaller this is the normal next step of any fascism. insert quote about “first they come for X and I said nothing” .

    • Seraph@fedia.io
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      2 months ago

      Y: But I was not an X so I didn’t care. Taliban: Get all Y’s too! Y: * shocked pikachu face *

  • Illecors@lemmy.cafe
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    2 months ago

    I mean… Normally men measure something other than beards. This is such a weird choice!

    • Linktank@lemmy.today
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      2 months ago

      They don’t have the instruments needed for a dick measuring contest over there after destroying all of the lab equipment.