Officials from the Taliban Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation at the Islam Qala Reception Center in Herat have given humanitarian organization staff one month to ensure that all male employees and the mahrams accompanying female employees groom their beards according to standards set by the Taliban.
Information obtained by the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Monday, June 22, indicates that the decision was made following an increase in the detention of humanitarian aid workers by the Taliban’s Morality Police from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice for shaving or trimming their beards.
The issue was raised during a meeting between border officials of the Taliban Directorate of Refugees and Repatriation at the Islam Qala Reception Center and representatives of humanitarian organizations.
According to sources, Taliban officials announced that after the one-month deadline expires, employees who fail to comply with the specified requirements may be barred from entering the reception center.
Sources also said that Taliban officials cited escalating tensions and the repeated detention of aid organization staff by the Morality Police as the reason for the decision.
Sources had previously reported that at least 18 employees of United Nations (UN) agencies in the province had been detained over the past week on charges of shaving their beards or having beards deemed too short.
The decision comes as pressure on men has intensified sharply following the order to arrest women and girls in Herat for not wearing the chadari.
