The Taliban may not like Peaky Blinders, but its Afghan fans are part of a long history of cultural engagement with the world

The Taliban may not like Peaky Blinders, but its Afghan fans are part of a long history of cultural engagement with the world

The four young Thomas Shelbys walking around Herat. Screenshot from YouTube/Herat-MicThe Taliban’s morality police recently summoned four young men in the city of Herat in western Afghanistan for a “rehabilitation programme”. Their offence: “imitating actors” and “promoting foreign culture”. The young men had formed what they called the “Thomas Shelby Group”, after Cillian Murphy’s character in the popular TV drama Peaky Blinders – and the week …