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‘Wearing shorts’, no longer a crime |
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July 20, 2000
KABUL (AP) - Afghanistan's hardline Taliban dismissed an over-zealous official, who arrested Pakistani football players and shaved their heads for wearing shorts, a Taliban official said Wednesday.
The Taliban's Sports Minister Shakoor Muttmain said the man who arrested 12 Pakistani football players last weekend was "irresponsible."
"Irresponsible Taliban officials took action against Pakistani players without permission and the officer responsible for the incident has been arrested and dismissed," he said.
"We condemn the incident because the Pakistanis were our guest," he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Last Saturday in southern Kandahar, Taliban soldiers brandishing weapons interrupted a football game between a Pakistani club team and an Afghan club team. The officials were offended by the exposed legs of the Pakistani players.
The raid caused a stampede among the thousands of spectators in the stadium. Several spectators received minor injuries.
In Taliban-ruled Afghanistan a strict interpretation of Islam has been imposed and as a result it is against Taliban rules to expose any part of the body.
Women are required to hide even their faces and are forced to wear the all-encompassing burqa. Men wear the long tunic and baggy pants. Afghan sportsmen also are required to wear the full dress.
After shaving the heads of the Pakistani players they were released. In the future Muttmain said the dress code for visiting teams will be made clear before a team arrives in the country to play. Men also are required to wear beards in Afghanistan, however Muttmain said that requirement will be waived for foreign sportsmen.
Women are not allowed to play sports in Afghanistan. Muttmain said the Taliban too have been on the receiving end of punishments for their appearance.
Taliban players were not allowed to box in Pakistan because they refused to shave their beards. A boxing regulation forbids beards.
"Pakistanis should not take this incident seriously," Muttmain said. "Last year, Pakistanis did not allow our boxing team to participate in a tournament because of their beards."
Islamic scholars say that the Taliban's interpretation of Islam reflects Afghanistan's tribal tradition rather than the edicts of the religion.
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