Taliban bars government employees without beards from work: Report

Taliban in Afghanistan has reportedly instructed all government employees to wear a beard and adhere to a dress code or risk being fired, Reuters reported quoting three sources, the latest of several new restrictions imposed by the hardline Islamist administration.

According to Reuters, representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were on Monday patrolling the entrances to government offices to check that employees were in compliance with the new rules.

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It is reported that the 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.

The workers were reportedly informed that they would, from now on, be unable to enter offices and would eventually be fired if they did not meet the dress codes.

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Earlier, the Afghanistan government banned women from taking flights without a male chaperone and failed to open girls’ schools as promised.

On Sunday, Taliban ordered parks to be segregated by sex, with women allowed to enter three days a week, and men the other four days, including the weekend, meaning even married couples and families cannot visit together.

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The Taliban administration has drawn criticism at home and from Western governments for forcing its hardline interpretation of Islamic law onto all Afghans.

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The Taliban say they will respect everyone’s rights in line with Islamic law and Afghan customs and that they have changed since their 1996-2001 rule, when they barred women from leaving the house without a male relative and forced men to grow beards.