Afghan Government Workers Without Beards Will Lose Their Jobs, Taliban Leadership Says

All government officials have been required to have a beard and follow a dress code or risk being dismissed by the Taliban leadership.

On Monday, March 28, representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice were at the gates to government buildings to ensure that staff was following the new guidelines.

Various sources claim that “employees were being instructed not to shave their beards and to wear local clothing consisting of a long, loose top and trousers, and a hat or turban.

“They were also told to ensure they prayed at the correct times.”

Workers were informed that they would no longer be permitted to access offices and would be dismissed if they did not comply with the dress codes.

The Taliban, a week ago, banned women from flying without a male companion and failed to open girls’ schools as promised.

It also mandated that the parks should be divided by gender on Sunday, with women allowed to visit three days a week and males four days a week, including the weekend, implying that even married couples and families will be unable to visit together.

The Taliban leadership has faced domestic and international criticism for imposing its strict interpretation of Islamic law on all Afghans.