Four Afghan lads who dressed up as the Peaky Blinders were summoned by the Taliban for going against their 'values'.
The group of friends were ordered by the Taliban government's department of vice and virtue to follow restrictions on dress code in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesperson Saif-ur-Islam Khyber said the men in their 20s were detained in Jibrail, in the southern province of Herat, for strutting down the streets like Cillian Murphy's Thomas Shelby. Characters from the BBC series typically wear those posh three-piece suits with flat caps and leather boots.
The crime drama, set in post–World War I Birmingham, follows the rise of the Shelby family gang and their influence through organised crime, political manipulation, and risky business ventures.
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Khyber said in an interview with CBS News on Tuesday (10 December) that their outfits were not aligned with 'our culture', which came into effect when the Taliban seized power in 2021.
In Afghanistan, Sharia law is enforced through the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic law. Punishments can be severe and women’s rights to work and to dress are tightly restricted.
"We have our own religious and cultural values, and especially for clothing we have specific traditional styles," he explained.
"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."
The spokesperson added that the men were 'only summoned and advised and released', before being put in a 'rehabilitation programme'.
Friends Asghar Husinai, Jalil Yaqoobi, Ashore Akbari and Daud Rasa were interviewed in November by local YouTube channel Hirat Mic.
"At first we were hesitant, but once we went outside, people liked our style, stopped us in the streets, and wanted to take photos with us," Yaqoobi said.
"Some comments were negative, but we only paid attention to the appreciation."
A friend of the group told CBS that they thought the whole ordeal was 'ridiculous'.
"The country always feels like a prison," they said.
"Our friends wore these outfits for no political or other reason — just for fun — and the Taliban's religious police detained them ...
"They admired the British series and wanted to share that admiration, but it turned into a nightmare. They are now behind bars."
In a video released by the Taliban, one of the men appears to apologise, reportedly saying: "I'm on Instagram and have five million followers. Without realizing it, I used to publish and spread things that were against Sharia.
"I was summoned and advised, and from today onward I will no longer engage in such sinful activities — and I have stopped."
Topics: Peaky Blinders, TV, World News
Anish Vij