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Barbers Shaving Off Their Fears

Posted on June 9, 2009 by Manasi Sharma
Topics: Informal Economy
Countries: Afghanistan
Barbers from the Swat Valley have more freedom in IDP camps than they did in their home towns under Taliban rule which found shaving off beards un-Islamic. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pirasteh/2521164302/">Elias Pirasteh (flickr)</a>
Barbers from the Swat Valley have more freedom in IDP camps than they did in their home towns under Taliban rule which found shaving off beards un-Islamic. Photo: Elias Pirasteh (flickr)

Barbers from the Swat Valley were forbidden to shave off the beards of their customers under Taliban rule, which condemned the practice as "un-Islamic." Since the Taliban took over the area, the Pakistani army has been trying to regain control over their territory. The resulting violence has made the beautiful and serene area a dangerous place to live. BBC News spoke to some of the men who fled the area, and are now living and working in camps for internally displaced people.

One of the barbers interviewed tells the BBC:

The Taliban threatened to attack the barber shops and their houses if they kept shaving customers' beards. Before the Taliban came along with their restrictions I used to do 15 to 20 shaves a day so as soon as they took over I saw my income plummet.

Most of these men want to return to their homes but also want the freedom to practice their livelihoods without the constant threat of violence. For now, the camps have become their home and source of income.

Read more about the Swat valley in Global Envision's post: The Economic Fallout From Pakistan's Taliban Troubles.

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Keywords: Pakistan, Global Envision, barbers, Islam, Taliban, Swat valley, shave

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