Tajikistan Shaved The Beards of 13,000 Men in 2015

Authorities in Tajikistan forcibly shaved the beards of almost 13,000 men last year as the police continue to battle radical Islam in the the central Asian republic, a regional police chief said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The beards of 12,818 men were thought to be "overly long and unkempt" so they were "brought to order," Bahrom Sharifzoda, head of police in the region of Khatlon said, as quoted by the central Asian news outlet Radio Liberty. The police chief showed a "before and after" photograph of a man whose beard had been shaved by the authorities.

Police also closed 162 shops and stalls that were selling hijabs and stopped 1,773 women from wearing headdresses. They also placed 89 hijab-wearing prostitutes into custody in 2015.

The news outlet said that officials had been "working overtime" to ensure that Tajik society conformed to the traditional values of the country.

Sharifzoda held a press conference to discuss the police's battle against "foreign" influences in the central Asian country. Tajik authorities have battled to prevent the insecurity of neighboring Afghanistan spilling over its borders.

According to the U.K.-based international affairs think tank Chatham House, it is estimated that 500 radical Islamist Tajiks have travelled to Syria to fight for militant groups and approximately 100 are believed to have died while fighting in the country.

The government, based in the capital Dushanbe and led by President Emomali Rahmon, considers Tajik fighters with ISIS to present a serious domestic security threat as they may return to the former Soviet republic.