The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has detained four young Afghan men who posted social media videos of themselves dressed as characters from the British crime drama Peaky Blinders, a show set in the early years of the 20th Century.
The four youths are from the city of Jebrael in the western province of Herat. Their social media videos showed them strolling around the town in their period costumes, including suits, coats, and hats that were commonplace in England after the First World War.
The group dubbed themselves the “Thomas Shelby Group,” after the main character of Peaky Blinders, played by actor Cillian Murphy. Others in their hometown took to calling them the “Jebrael Shelbys.”
One of the men, Jalil Yaqoobi, said in a November interview on YouTube that their neighbors mostly seemed to enjoy their cosplay.
“At first, we had our doubts, but as soon as we ventured outside, we found that people admired our style, approached us on the streets, and requested to take photos with us. Despite a few negative remarks, our attention remained on the gratitude expressed towards us,” he said.
Another member of the group, Asghan Husaini, said during the YouTube interview that they were criticized online for “promoting Western culture,” but he noted that “in the 1950s and 60s, we had a similar style here in Afghanistan.”
The Islamist extremists of the Taliban were not amused. The regime’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice told CBS News on Tuesday that the Peaky Blinders quartet had been detained for “promoting foreign culture” and subjected to a re-education program.
“They were promoting foreign culture and imitating film actors in Herat, arrested, and a rehabilitation program started for them,” said ministry spokesman Saif-ur-Islam Khyber.
“Praise be to Allah, we are Muslims and Afghans; we have our own religion, culture, and values. Through numerous sacrifices, we have protected this country from the spread of harmful cultures, and now we are also defending it,” he said.
Khyber claimed the four youths were “only summoned, and advised, and released” rather than being arrested and incarcerated.
“We have our own religious and cultural values, and especially for clothing we have specific traditional styles. The clothing they wore has no Afghan identity at all and does not match our culture,” he argued to justify detaining the “Peaky Blinders” crew.
“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,” he said.
The Taliban lived up to its sinister reputation by releasing an audio clip, purportedly from one of the young men, that sounded a great deal like a forced confession.
“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,” said the unidentified man in the recording.
Friends of the four young men denied the Taliban’s account, claiming the four have been imprisoned on what they called “ridiculous” charges.
“They admired the British series and wanted to share that admiration, but it turned into a nightmare. They are now behind bars,” said one of their friends.
CBS noted the Taliban Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has been having a busy week, with two street magicians arrested in the province of Balkh for “engaging in activities contrary to Islamic sharia law for a long time.”
“Books and documents related to witchcraft were obtained from the aforementioned individuals, which, based on initial information, have played a role in family disputes, separation between spouses, and the formation of some social problems among the residents of this province,” spokesman Khyber said of the street magician bust.
Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi told Radio Free Europe (RFE) on Thursday that the Jebrael Shelbys “wanted to protest and show that they are opposed to this system of coercion and domination.”
“Such attire is completely normal all over the world, and these men live in this world and have access to social media, watch films and TV series,” she said.
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