Taliban tells Afghan civil servants they will be sacked if they fail to grow long beards

AFGHANISTAN'S ruling Taliban government has issued a directive to all civil servants that they must wear a beard and adhere to a strict Islamic dress code or risk being fired from their jobs.

Local media sources reported that representatives from the Afghan Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were patrolling the entrances to government offices today to check that employees were in compliance with the new rules. Following this new directive,  it would become illegal for employees to shave their beards, or not  wear local clothing consisting of a long, loose top and trousers and a hat or turban.

Government workers were told they would from now on be unable to enter offices and would eventually be fired if they did not comply with the mandatory dress code. In addition, workers were told to ensure they prayed at the correct times, in strict observance of the tents of Islam.

Earlier this month, the Taliban had banned women from taking flights without a male chaperone and then followed this up by failing to open a girls schools as promised. On Sunday, the Taliban then ordered that parks to be segregated by gender, 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.

Afghanistan's  Taliban administration has drawn criticism at home and abroad for forcing its extreme interpretation of Islamic law on all Afghans. Last week's U-turn on the girls’ school led to protests from the international community, including the US, which pulled out of planned meetings with Taliban officials in Qatar to discuss key economic issues.