‘An island of freedom’: Inside the secret beauty salons of Afghanistan

In Kabul, an army of clandestine beauticians is keeping morale alive among women living in fear of the Taliban-led government.

Kabul, Afghanistan – In an apartment near a Taliban headquarters, a young woman is discreetly moving about. Breshna* is 24 years old. Today, as on every day for the past year, her hands are sweaty and shaking. Yet her movements must be meticulous. She’s cutting the hair of one of her clients.

“In a week, my niece is getting married. It’s a big moment. You have to do your best,” says the customer, a woman in her 50s.

Comb in one hand, scissors in the other, Breshna concentrates. She has repeated these movements hundreds of times. Hair is her speciality, but above all, it is her livelihood. Mistakes are not an option.

The hum of the hairdryer both reassures and frightens her. “What if the Taliban hears us? I am afraid that the doorbell might ring. It could be them. They can come at any moment,” she whispers before handing the mirror to her customer.

Her client’s face lights up with happiness when she glimpses her reflection. This is the first time she’s been to an underground salon. Despite the fear, she does not regret coming. She will definitely be back to Breshna’s clandestine beauty parlour.

In early July 2023, the Taliban announced the closure of all beauty salons across the country and proclaimed that a number of services, including eyebrow shaping, the use of other people’s hair and the application of makeup, interfered with pre-prayer ablutions required in Islam. No other Muslim-majority country in the world has banned salons, however, and critics say the Taliban’s treatment of women defy mainstream teachings of Islam.

According to the Taliban, beauty salons also put unnecessary financial