Taliban requiring beards, dress code for government workers: reports

The Taliban is reportedly requiring a strict dress code for government workers in Afghanistan, including wearing a beard, amid multiple other restrictions that echo scenes from their previous rule in the 1990s.

Members of the Taliban vice and virtue ministry reportedly stood and patrolled outside government ministries on Monday, ordering male employees without traditional turbans and beards to return home, according to multiple reports. 

Employees are instructed not to shave their beards and are required to wear clothing consisting of a long, loose top and trousers, as well as a hat or turban, Reuters reported. The workers risk being fired if they do not adhere to the requirements.

The dress code is the latest in a series of restrictions aimed at enforcing a strict interpretation of Islamic law. 

The Taliban last week barred women from boarding planes if they travel unaccompanied by a male relative and failed to reopen schools for girls beyond the sixth grade.

They also ordered public parks to be segregated by sex on different days, with men allowed to visit four days a week and women for three, according to Reuters. This restriction also prevents married couples and families from visiting together. 

While the Taliban has maintained that it is very different from 20 years ago and respects women’s rights, the latest moves reflect their 1996-2001 rule, when the group banned women from education and public spaces and barred music, television and more.