No beard, no work, Taliban orders govt employees

In another chilling episode of imposed atavistic policies, Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban has directed all government employees to wear a beard and adhere to a dress code or risk being fired. This was the latest of several new restrictions imposed by the hard-line Islamist administration. Local media sources reported that representatives from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice were patrolling the entrances to government offices on Monday to check that employees were in compliance with the new rules. Following this new fiat, it would become illegal for employees to shave their beards, or wear local clothing consisting of a long, loose top and trousers, and a hat or turban. The sources, moreover, claimed workers were told to ensure they prayed at the correct times, in strict observance of the Islamic tenets. They were also 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. Earlier, the Taliban had banned women from taking flights without a male chaperone and failed to open girls’ schools as promised. A spokesman for the public morality ministry did not respond to a request for comment.