Hair weaves
Pastor Aamir has banned hair weaves from his church in Texas Reuters

A Texas preacher has sparked controversy after banning hair weaves from his church.

Pastor AJ Aamir of the Resurrecting Faith Church in Waco, Texas told his female congregation that weaves were unacceptable and claimed that they presented a false image of women.

He said they were only worn by women with low self-esteem.

"Our black women are getting weaves trying to be something and someone they are not. Be real with yourself," Aamir told AmericaPreachers.com.

"I don't want my members so focused on what's on their heads and not in their heads.

Aamir said that women should focus more on developing their minds - not just their appearance.

"I lead a church where our members are struggling financially. Yet a 26-year-old mother in my church has a $300 weave on her head. I will not be quiet about this."

Aamir, who leads a congregation whose average age is 22, said that he was raised in a strict household by his parents, who were Muslims.

The pastor's comments sparked a flurry of responses online.

One critic said: "If you are paying your bills and handling your business first, you should be able to do whatever you want to with your money and that is none of your pastor's business.

"He is probably one of those ministers who wants a woman to sit down somewhere and know her place, a woman with low self-esteem wouldn't worry about how she looks."

Weaves - also known as extensions - come in different lengths, colours and textures and are used to enhance and add hair to the scalp of a woman's head.

"If that was my pastor, I would just go to a different church," hairstylist Brittany Evans told Newsfix.