The Islamic State terror group has reportedly banned the “sin” of shaving, threatening severe punishment including whip lashes for beardless men in the Iraq city of Mosul.

Leaflets distributed across the city heralded the imposition of the new law from 1 June.

• Why we should call Islamic State the name it hates
• Psych test ‘reveals’ why boys join Islamic State
• Caution advised on terror laws

“What hairdressers do today, shaving and trimming men’s beards, is an accessory to sin,” said the leaflet, the ABC reported.

“Thanks to our brothers from the Islamic police, an order has been issued for the shaving of beards to be banned and violators to be detained.”

An Iraqi man unable to grow a beard for medical reasons told world media he received no sympathy from the group’s militants.

“They didn’t care,” taxi driver Nadhim Ali, 30, told Agence France-Presse.

“One of them told me I’d better stay at home if I shaved.

“So just for ensuring my family’s livelihood, I can choose between getting sick and risking lashes or arrest.”