Taliban arrest Afghan fashion model, say he ‘insulted’ Islam

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban have detained a popular Afghan fashion model and three of his colleagues, accusing them of disrespecting Islam and the Quran, the Muslim holy book. Ajmal Haqiqi is known among Afghans for his fashion shows, YouTube clips, and modeling events. He appeared handcuffed in videos posted on Twitter by the Taliban intelligence service. One widely circulated and contentious video shows Haqiqi laughing when his colleague Ghulam Sakhi — who is known to have a speech impediment that he uses for humor — recites verses of the Quran in Arabic, in a comical voice. Amnesty International released a statement on Wednesday, urging the Taliban to immediately release Haqiqi and his colleagues.