In a bizarre turn of events, the Taliban, Afghanistan’s infamous political and militant organization, has detained a set of Peaky Blinders fans for simply cosplaying certain looks from the British series. The youngsters had donned outfits similar to what Cillian Murphy’s character and his gang wear in the fan-favorite show, which ultimately prompted the Taliban to summon them for “rehabilitation.”
Taliban detains Peaky Blinders fans, claim values in show go against Afghan culture
According to a recent report, four Afghan youngsters had to report to the Taliban government’s department of Vice and Virtue on Sunday for dressing up as Peaky Blinders characters.
“The clothing they wore has no Afghan identity at all and does not match our culture,” stated Saiful Islam Khyber, a spokesman for the Taliban government’s provincial department of Vice and Virtue. “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.” (via BBC)
“Even jeans would have been acceptable, but the values in the Peaky Blinders series are against Afghan culture,” the Taliban representative added.
Notably, the young Afghan men in question, who hail from the town of Jibrail in Herat province, had posted a video online. They recreated the look of Thomas Shelby and his gang from Peaky Blinders. The group wore flat caps, black gloves, and three-piece suits, all the while holding cigars in their hands to mimic the appearance of the show’s characters.
“They were promoting foreign culture and imitating film actors in Herat,” Khyber noted. He then revealed that the Taliban had enlisted them in a “rehabilitation programme” as a consequence. Khyber further clarified that the men were not formally arrested but “only summoned and advised and released.”
In a video released by the ministry since the men’s release, they appear to be thanking the officials for their guidance. Moreover, they claim that they were oblivious to having broken any laws.
“I have innocently been sharing content that was against Sharia, which had many viewers,” said one of the detained Peaky Blinders fans. He also added that he’ll never do “anything like this.”
Meanwhile, as per a recent announcement, the Peaky Blinders movie, titled The Immortal Man, will arrive in select theaters on March 6, 2026. It will then land for streaming on Netflix on March 20.
Originally reported by Apoorv Rastogi on ComingSoon.net.
