"Peaky Blinders" ignites Afghan style rebellion Article by The Conversation Journal

The Taliban’s attempt to impose a rigid, purified vision of Afghan culture faces subtle yet persistent resistance from the country’s youth. Recently, four young men in Herat were summoned by the Taliban’s morality police for a “rehabilitation programme” because they “imitated actors” and “promoted foreign culture,” The Conversation journal writes. 

The group, calling themselves the “Thomas Shelby Group” after the Peaky Blinders character played by Cillian Murphy, had been seen confidently walking through the city in black three-piece suits and leather gloves, smoking cigarettes. While the Taliban enforces what it calls “Afghan cultural and Islamic traditions,” these young fans demonstrate the enduring global connections shaping Afghanistan’s cultural identity.

Despite the Taliban’s attempts to depict Afghan culture as static and traditional, Afghanistan has a long history of cultural exchange. Far from being isolated, the country has engaged with global fashion, art, and commerce for centuries. In the early 20th century, Emir Habibullah Khan introduced court uniforms inspired by British India, while urban Kabul residents in the pre-World War II era adopted international fashion through visitors and travel. 

The neatly trimmed “French cut” beard even became popular among the city’s intelligentsia, illustrating a selective adaptation of global trends. Afghan artisans have also influenced fashion abroad; the Karakul lamb pelts, crafted into soft fur coats, were exported to Europe and North America and even gifted to Queen Victoria, shaping trends in cities such as Paris, London, and Los Angeles.

Popular culture further illustrates this enduring global engagement. During the Taliban’s previous rule (1996–2001), cinema, television, and music were banned, yet underground video shops flourished. The film Titanic became a symbol of worldly awareness, with cakes modelled after the ship appearing at celebrations, highlighting a quiet defiance of imposed cultural limitations. 

The recent “Thomas Shelby Group” is a modern continuation of this pattern: their Peaky Blinders outfits are “a way of making a statement that challenges the Taliban’s understanding of ‘Afghan culture’ without being enough of an offence to land their wearers in serious trouble.”

Afghanistan’s culture has always been shaped by the circulation of people, ideas, and goods. The Taliban’s efforts to enforce a purified, static cultural model clash with the country’s globally connected population. 

From historic fashion exchanges to contemporary media fandom, Afghan youth continue to reinterpret tradition in ways that reflect both local identity and global awareness. The Herat incident is just the latest illustration of a society negotiating its place in a wider cultural world while resisting rigid authoritarian constraints.

By Jeyhun Aghazada