Taliban began beheading Afghan shop mannequins to offend their strict Islamic interpretation.
The heads of mannequins was ordered by Islamist officials to be removed from shops in Herat’s western province.
Islam prohibits idolatry or worshipping other gods than Allah, who is the sole God.

Taliban leaders in western Herat declared that mannequins must be killed to stop people worshipping them. (file photo)
The ruling was issued this week by the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Herat, which is responsible for administering the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam.
The ministry ordered the shops to take down the mannequins immediately, but the shopkeepers protested, saying that it would ruin any business they had left.
Following the hearing of all the complaints, Sheikh Aziz-u-Rahman (head of the ministry) ruled that the heads on the mannequins needed to be chopped off.
However, businessmen claim that hacking their mannequins is still a substantial financial loss in a period when Afghanistan’s economic system has collapsed.
Abdul Wadood Faiz Zada said to Repubblica in Italy: “The heads of the Mannequins need to be covered and not removed.”
“Each Mannequin is $100 or $80, $70 and the cost of beheading them would be hugely expensive.”
Mohammad Yusuf added: ‘The Taliban have not changed, there will be restrictions once again.
“They are not internationally recognized, but if they do, they will bring back stricter restrictions.”

Since their takeover this summer of power, the Taliban have slowly been crackingdown on Afghans’ freedoms. This includes banning women from large parts of public life.
Since recapturing Afghanistan over the summer in a rapid advance behind the back of withdrawing American troops, the Taliban has been slowly restricting the freedoms of its population while claiming to the world that it has ‘reformed’.
The Taliban immediately detained women and girls in their homes to ensure their safety, and then began to remove them from schools and workplaces.
Islamists banned long-distance driving by women without having a male guardian. They also required that they wear a veil in their car.
At the same, all music was banned from cars and ‘intoxicating substances’ were also forbidden.
According to the ruling, drivers must also pull over in order for prayers to take place at times when they are driving.
Afghanistan has been bolstered for over two decades with aid funds and support money from the west. It is now almost dead.
The aid money is now dry up and although the west has promised to provide billions of dollars, it’s still trying to find ways to enter the country, without giving the funds to the Islamists.
According to the UN food program, up to 50% of the world’s population could starve before winter ends. This is because economic disaster and drought combine to make it difficult for large numbers to fall into poverty.
Reports from aid agencies indicate that some families resort to desperate means to purchase food.