MORALITY police have arrested Afghanistan’s “Peaky Blinders” after posing in stylish outfits inspired by the iconic British TV show.
The Taliban’s traditionalist enforcers swooped on four young men who were caught showing off their 1920s English gangster aesthetic on TikTok.
The signature look of the show’s central character Tommy Shelby includes three piece suits, overcoats, starched club collar shirts and Baker Boy caps, which the men wore in public across Herat.
Under the Afghan regime, clothing styles which conflict with Islamic values are banned.
Afghans are warned against copying practices associated with non-Muslim cultures.
The Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice released a statement justifying the arrest because the “Thomas Shelby group” were spreading “foreign film-style acts”.
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In a video by the ministry, the detainees offered remorse after receiving “necessary guidance” for their actions.
Kabul-based human-rights advocate Ahmadullah Waak said the arrests illustrate the widening scope of restrictions on personal expression under Taliban rule.
Taliban have previously detained many for perceived violations of dress codes and have instructed barbers not to cut beards or style hair in what they deem “Western” fashion.
UN agencies have warned that the ministry’s directives and punishments are often unpredictable and contribute to “an atmosphere of fear.”
In an earlier YouTube video, the boys said they admired the show’s fashion and had received positive reactions from locals.
They said the group had hoped to later showcase traditional clothing from Afghanistan’s ethnic groups as well.
The online reaction to the arrest has damned the conservative regime.
“Kudos to these kids who continue to display their talent in the face of a harsh regime that has no space for art and expression,” a comment on X read.
Another asked: “But they were all covered and smartly dressed. Is it unislamic? And they are young men/boys. I don’t understand why this is seen as wrong.”
The arrests follow countless recent incidents of young people defying conservative regimes.
Women competing in an Iranian marathon were condemned for racing with their hair uncovered.
In a display of rebellion against the ultraconservative regime, hundreds of women competed in the marathon on Friday without hijab.
Iranian officials warned marathon organisers that the race would be a “violation of public decency” before the event started, while local news outlets condemned the 26.2 mile race for “promoting debauchery”.
Despite the outcry, 2000 women took part in the race, with some brave enough to leave their hair out – standing up to the Ayatollah’s rules.
The footage from the marathon start line of a sea of women in red shirts without headscarves sealed the fate for two of the organisers.
They have since been arrested for not enforcing the strict mandatory hijab and modesty rules, which have been violently imposed for decades.