What shop windows look like in Afghanistan

Store owners in Kabul, Afghanistan are covering the faces of their mannequins. Producer: Antoniette Meyer Senior Producer: Amy Daire
Published on
19/1/2023
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Owners have been covering the mannequin faces with plastic bags


After seizing power in 2021, the Taliban reportedly told store owners that they needed to behead their mannequins or remove them from the windows. Per AP, the Taliban’s order is based on *“a strict interpretation of Islamic law that forbids statues and images of the human form since they could be worshipped as idols.”* 

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However, some store owners pushed back, saying they needed the mannequins intact to display their clothes and attract customers. This led to the Taliban changing their order. Since then, owners have been covering the mannequin faces with cloth sacks or plastic bags.

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But a couple were able to splurge on more creative options, like decorated hoods that match the dresses or shiny foil. *“I made an opportunity out of this threat and ban and did it so the mannequins are even more attractive than before,”* one said in an interview with AP.

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