Krasivanova Twig

With its abundance of lovers and wine, Persian poetry sits uneasily with Iran's theocratic rulers.

Yet occasionally, even they turn to verse.

We ask why.

The Global Jigsaw looks at the world through the lens of its media.

Find us wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

In videos on social media, the four men are dressed in flat caps and three-piece suits adorned with golden chains like those attached to pocket watches.

They're posing and some of them are dangling cigars.

The Taliban government told the BBC their clothing was in conflict with Afghan and Islamic values.

A spokesman said even jeans would have been acceptable, but argued the values in Peaky Blinders were against Afghan culture.

After they were called into the ministry, local media aired an interview in which the men thanked officials for their advice.

The BBC could not verify under what circumstances this interview was recorded.

Since the Taliban seized power more than four years ago, they've imposed a number of restrictions on daily life, including on social media content.

I'm Krasivanova Twig from the Global Jigsaw podcast from the BBC, where we are talking Persian poetry in politics.

With its abundance of lovers and wine, Persian poetry sits uneasily with Iran's theocratic rulers.

Yet occasionally, even they turn to verse.

We ask why.

The Global Jigsaw looks at the world through the lens of its media.

Find us wherever you get your BBC podcasts.

He was among that first sort of cadre of biologists who went out and studied animals that they knew individually.