A Waco pastor has ignited a firestorm of controversy for admonishing his church's leadership staff not to wear hair weaves.

"Our black women are getting weaves trying to be something and someone they are not. Be real with yourself is all I'm saying," Pastor A.J. Aamir told America Preachers online.

Wearing hair weaves, he told his leadership at Resurrecting Faith Church, creates a "false image" that is associated with women who have low self-esteem.

Aamir, 39, leads a congregation whose average age is 22, according to America Preachers. He told the publication that he was raised in a strict household by his parents, who are members of the Islamic faith.

While he acknowledged that he cannot legally prohibit women from wearing weaves in church, "he still highly disapproves it," the publication reported.

Aamir's words of advice quickly went viral, prompting scores of comments from men and women alike on the America Preachers site.

A commenter identified as "Braun Shuga" said, "I think people are taking this out of perspective! most in his congregation are struggling financially but yet spend money on what they could use for the more important things on weaves in order to appear 'beautiful'... which is distorted since beauty is subjective and in the eye of the beholder," she stated. "People that are struggling and who SHOULD use that money for necessities of life SHOULD NOT BE WEARING HAIR THEY CAN NOT AFFORD!"

C Michelle Pickett of the University of Tennessee wrote, "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 ... and he is probably one of those ministers who wants a woman to sit down somewhere and know her place ... a woman with a low self esteem wouldn't worry about how she looks."