World

Taliban Bans <i>Titanic</i> Tops

January 25, 2001 / 4:54 PM EST / CBS/AP

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have jailed 22 barbers for giving men Leonardo DiCaprio-style haircuts deemed offensive to Islam because the long bangs interfere with the ability to bow and say prayers.

The hairstyle, referred to among young men in Kabul as the Titanic, mimics that of DiCaprio in the blockbuster movie.

Religious police deployed by the Taliban's Ministry of Vice and Virtue responsible for imposing the religious militia's strict brand of Islamic rule say the hairstyle is offensive, according to Mohammed Arif, a barber in the capital.

The cut allows hair on the forehead, which the Taliban say could interfere with a person's ability to say prayers. Muslim prayers are said while bowing toward Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Islam's holiest site.

Inside Afghanistan

Read CBS News Anchor Dan Rather's series of reports:

Part One: Aftermath Of A War Of Terror

Part Two: Afghanistan's Veil Of Oppression

Part Three: An Afghan In America

After taking power in 1996, the Taliban closed cinemas in Kabul saying the images were contrary to Islam. But pirated videos, including Titanic, can be found and watched by those who have television sets and videocassette recorders hidden in their homes.

So far, 22 men have been arrested since last Saturday. It's not clear whether they will be punished or what the penalty might be. The Taliban espouses public punishment for most offenses. None of those arrested have been freed yet.

Arif watched while bearded Taliban religious police stormed into his business and arrested his colleague.

"There isn't anything you can do," he said.

Religious police patrol Afghanistan's beleaguered capital arresting violators of the Taliban's brand of Islam, which requires the faithful to literally follow the teachings of the Quran and dress as Islam's prophet, Mohammed, dressed in the seventh century when he founded the religion.

The Taliban, which controls about 95 percent of the country, also has banned most forms of light entertainment and demand that men pray in the mosque and grow beards. Men are not allowed to shave their facial hair and trimming beards is strictly forbidden.

But Arif said men secretly do trim their beards.

"They come very early in the morning or very late at night," he sid. "It is done very secretly and only for friends."

Young men in Kabul often grumble about the Taliban's edicts.

Hafiz Ullah, 18, who sports the offending hairstyle, complained about the strictness of his country's rulers. Although he defies their ruling on the haircut, Ullah is careful.

"I don't go near the government offices and my eyes are always looking for the religious police," he said.

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