Wearing beards is legitimate right for Egypt's police office

[DJKeefy]

Salafist leader Nader Bakar says the interior minister will be questioned on his 'intransigent position' regarding the controversial Facebook campaign that advocates wearing beards for police personnel

Nader Bakar, the Spokesman of the Salafist Nour Party, has heavily criticised Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim for declining to allow police officers to grow their beards.

“The ministry of interior cannot fire these officers, or even transfer them to other departments, because this is against Islamic rules and basic human rights,” Bakar said during a meeting with Smouha club members in Alexandria.

Vowing to support the officers, Bakar insisted they did not break any rules and that they were only following Islamic teachings.

"Some Western states allow officers to wear their beards such as Britain, so why does Egypt reject that?" Bakar added.

Commenting on a campaign to overturn the prohibition on serving officers wearing beards, Ibrahim said Islamic clerics had reassured him that beards were a tradition, not an obligatory practice in Islam. Therefore, any officer who grows a beard would be referred to the appropriate disciplinary committee.

Last week a group of police officers announced via Facebook that they would grow their beards in accordance with their interpretation of Islam. Some of the officers have already appeared in front of a disciplinary committee.

The campaign has received support from ultra-conservative Salafist groups in Egypt.

Police and army personnel are not allowed to grow their beards in Egypt. Men with beards are barred from entering army and police clubs in the country.


Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/35306.aspx

[Winged Isis]

Not having a beard gives an attacker less to grab onto, I always thought.

Different story, Downunder recently...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/...police.. ... 2-12262458..

[LovelyLadyLux]

In Canada with the large population of East Indian people (from India) they won the right to wear turbans with the police badge on front vs the traditional hat/helmet of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This happened quite a few years back and really did bring out lots of controversy. Was a major breaking of a long established tradition.

[DJKeefy]

I found the article a bit strange, I would have though in a Muslim country having a beard would be the norm and acceptable in all work places.

[Horus]

A lot of these traditions are by way of safety, or should I say they used to be. Height restrictions so you could handle yourself and not be intimidated, the helmet was designed so that you could not be hit on the head and beards etc, so people could not grab them in an attack upon your person. The same reason that today they wear elasticated ties so they cannot be strangled by them.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I have to wear my ID card round my neck when I'm in the office. I snipped it in the back and velcro'd it shut so that I can't be grabbed and strangled with it. Made it a break away.

I don't think in all my time in Egypt I have seen a police officer with a beard. Few with moustaches but none with beards. I always thought the clean shaven look was to make them look more professional.