Beards Are Back | Euromaxx

You can see men with beards on the catwalk, in fashion magazines or on the streets. Three day beards are all the rage and we find out why men about town are not shaving regularly any more.

No Beards, No Veils': Uighur Life in China's Xinjiang

BBC: China says Islamist separatists in Xinjiang are the greatest threat to national security. The far western region is home to a community of some 10 million Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim.

Beijing is concerned that young Uighurs are vulnerable to radicalisation. Widespread intimidation makes reporting from the region extremely difficult, but the BBC gained exclusive access to the area. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, March 18, 2017

Filmed and edited by Matthew Goddard; Produced by Ashley Semler

The Economics of Beard Popularity in the US

New Army Policy Allows Turbans, Hijabs and Beards

Lauren Green reports on how the rules are changing

Vicars Should Grow Beards to Reach Out to Muslims, Bishop Suggests

THE TELEGRAPH: Bishop of London says priests with hipster-style facial hair in Muslim areas ‘can only be applauded’

It brings together the most unlikely of bedfellows from Prince Harry to Gerry Adams and even – in many depictions – God himself.

Now the fashion for beards has been given the blessing of the Church of England, after one of the country’s most senior clerics praised vicars who grow them to appeal to Muslim communities around them.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, singled out two East End priests who had cultivated bushy facial hair “of an opulence that would not have disgraced a Victorian sage”, for special praise.

More than simply a fashion choice, the move reflected a desire to “reach out” to the community in their Tower Hamlets parishes, a large proportion of whom are of Bangladeshi origin, he said.

It is, he added, an acknowledgement of the fact that in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures the hirsute appearance is more associated with “holy men” than hipsters.

It is, he added, an acknowledgement of the fact that in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures the hirsute appearance is more associated with “holy men” than hipsters.

The bishop, who sports what he describes as a “modest” beard dating from the late 1970s, made the observation in an article for the Church Times tracing the history of facial hair over the last 2,000 years of Christianity.

In Islam beards are viewed as an “adornment” and Muslim men are encouraged to wear them to honour the Prophet Mohammed. » | John Bingham, Religious Affairs Editor | Friday, January 22, 2016

Facial Hair Transplants On the Rise

BBC: Plastic surgeons in Canada are reporting a surprising increase in the number of patients seeking facial hair transplants.

Once transplanted, the hairs are permanent and grow just like facial hair.

Russell Trott reports. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, March 30, 2014

German Army Rules on Beards and Tattoos

BBC: The German defence ministry has issued new rules on how soldiers should look. "Pornographic" tattoos, ostentatious piercings and bushy beards have all been outlawed, it seems.

"Ordinance A.26301.1l, on the Appearance of Federal Troops" caught the eye of military blogger Thomas Wiegold - "something of a weathervane of army opinion" according to Der Spiegel magazine. The 200-plus comments from soldiers on his blog post outnumber those on more serious issues.

As well as the ban on mohawks and bushy beards, new rules on tattoos proved particularly controversial. They are permitted, but "discriminatory, pornographic and unconstitutional" images must always be covered up when soldiers are in uniform. The rule applies even if they appear on the hands, neck or face - which, as the comments note, could prove difficult. » | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Liberal Weakness! Bearded Muslim Pupils Have Right to Show 'Full Faith', Says Nick Clegg

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nick Clegg has said people have a right to "show their full faith" after two Muslim schoolboys were barred from classes because they would not shave their beards off.

Both 14-year-olds had been placed in "isolation" from the start of the new term at Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School in Accrington, Lancashire.

Talks were held with the families of the two boys to resolve the problem but neither side backed down and the school has now decided the pupils can only return to school when they are clean-shaven.

Mr Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, said: "I think kids in school should all be treated the same. This is where we come to a difficult faultline - I think people should be able to show their full faith and wear what they want. But there are exceptions - in hospitals, in security sections."

The headteacher of the school, Xavier Bowers, has stressed that the matter is not one of religion but about dress code. » | Steven Swinford, Senior Political Correspondent | Thursday, October 10, 2013

Muslim Beard Boys Now Banned from School »

Decoding Facial Hair in the Arab World

BBC: During the Mubarak-era, beards were a no-no in Egypt - but now they're back in fashion with a vengeance. In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair signifies a lot more than personal style, writes Cairo-based journalist Ashraf Khalil.

A couple of years ago, I was with my parents in a mosque near Chicago. They introduced me to an old family friend - a lady who'd known me since I was a kid but hadn't seen me for years. She embraced my mother and shook hands with my father, but when she turned to me she stood about a foot away from me, didn't offer to shake my hand and instead sort of awkwardly waved.

My father asked her why she had been so distant and she said it was because of my beard. She assumed that my facial hair was symbolic of a deep Islamic religiousness and was afraid that if she offered her hand to shake, I wouldn't take it. My father, who knows exactly how non-religious I am, still LOVES to tell this story.

In the Arab and Muslim world, facial hair means far more than just style and grooming. It's a sociological signifier, a shorthand that often tells you who you're dealing with and what they're all about before they can even speak. There are a couple of different styles in play, and as a journalist you learn to develop a sort of internal chart.

In Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood members generally tend to go with the full but well-groomed beard and moustache. However Salafists - the ultraconservative fundamentalist Muslims - like to let their beards grow long and wild, often leaving their upper lip clean-shaven as a nod to how the Prophet Mohammed wore his own beard 1,400 years ago.

Some within the Salafist camp take things an extra step and dye their beards with henna, producing a range of colours from maroon to bright pumpkin orange. » | Ashraf Khalil | Saturday, February 02, 2013

Disney Lifts Beard Ban for Park Workers
THE GUARDIAN: Employees in Florida and California will be allowed beards or goatees, providing they are kept short

After banishing them from its magical realms for six decades, Disneyland has finally taken pity on hirsute men seeking employment in the field of mouse collaboration.

A mere 12 years since it made the landmark decision to allow employees to emulate the late Walt by sporting moustaches, the famously image-conscious outfit has opened the doors of the kingdom to men with the right kind of facial hair.

From 3 February, employees in Florida and California will be allowed to report for duty with beards or goatees – providing they are less than a quarter of an inch long. » | Sam Jones | Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Court Sides with Virginia Prison System on Lawsuit by Muslim Inmate Who Wanted 1/8-inch Beard
THE REPUBLIC: RICHMOND, Va. — A federal court has denied a Muslim inmate's lawsuit claiming the Virginia prison system violated his religious rights by refusing to allow him to grow a 1/8-inch beard.

William Couch challenged the Department of Corrections' grooming policy that bans long hair or beards.

A federal court in Harrisonburg sided with the department Thursday. Read on and comment » | Dena Potter | Associated Press | Monday, April 25, 2011

Brad Pitt’s Ever-lengthening Beard
With Brad’s beard getting longer and longer, one must ask oneself a couple of questions: 1.) Is Brad following Prophet Muhammad’s injunction on the length of the beard? 2.) Is he dabbling with the idea of conversion to Islam? - Mark

Islam & the Beard
Part 1:



Part 2:

Abdur Raheem Green: Growing the Beard

Taliban in Policy Shift on Beards and Burqas
THE INDEPENDENT: Negotiations with Afghan President Hamid Karzai reveal new pragmatism ahead of US offensive

An Afghan man has his beard trimmed at the Fazal Mohammad Barber Shop in Kabul. The trimming of beards was outlawed by the Taliban. Photo courtesy of The Independent
The Taliban, whose extreme interpretation of Sharia law and its harsh punishments made Afghanistan one of world's most repressive and reviled regimes, have agreed to soften their position on such things as beards and burqas as part of a trade-off in negotiations with the Afghan government.

Afghanistan is increasingly the focus of international diplomatic attention following a major international conference in The Hague this week. It will surface on the fringes of the G20 summit and dominate this week's Nato meeting in Strasbourg. Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, floated the idea of talking to "moderate" Taliban at the Hague conference, saying that those who gave up "extremism" would be granted an "honourable form of reconciliation".

Publicly, a Taliban spokesman yesterday rejected the American offer, describing it as "a lunatic idea". But preliminary talks between President Hamid Karzai's government and Taliban insurgents are already under way, and appear to have yielded a significant shift away from the Taliban's past obsession with repressive rules and punishments governing personal behaviour. The Taliban are now prepared to commit themselves to refraining from banning girls' education, beating up taxi drivers for listening to Bollywood music, or measuring the length of mens' beards, according to representatives of the Islamist movement. Burqas worn by women in public would be "strongly recommended" but not compulsory. The undertakings have been confirmed by Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef, who was the Taliban's ambassador to Pakistan in the late 1990s, and who has been part of a Saudi-sponsored peace initiative. >>> By Kim Sengupta and Jerome Starkey in Kabul | Thursday, April 2, 2009

About Hair and Things: Verily, Allah Knows Best!
KHALEEJ TIMES: I RECEIVED several e-mails in regards to my column last week. Specifically, some readers wanted to know more about hair removal in the light of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. There are several things that both men and women can and cannot do when it comes to removing the hair.

For women, it is permissible to remove hair from the face with the exception of the eyebrows. However, if the eyebrows are so long and bushy that they interfere with the eyesight then they can be trimmed. In the case of women who have a “uni-brow”, which means that the two eyebrows are connected in the middle, the part of the eyebrow that is connected right above the nose can be removed since it is not considered to be part of the eyebrow. Also, hair that grows abnormally on women (like beards and moustaches) falls under the category of permissible hair to remove. In Islam, women are forbidden from looking like men and vice versa.

As for men, it is not acceptable to remove hair from any part of the face. However, the moustache can be trimmed. Men are also forbidden from trimming or plucking the eyebrows. And it is part of the Sunnah for men to grow the beard long and trim the moustache short.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:

“Cut the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” (Bukhari,Muslim)

The mistake that many Muslim men make is to remove hair from their cheeks. It is a regular part of a haircut for men to ask the barber to use a method of hair removal called ‘threading’ to remove the hair from this area. It is forbidden to remove it because the hair on the cheeks is considered to be part of the beard.

Both men and women are instructed to remove the hair from the genitalia and armpit areas at least every 40 days The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Ten (actions) are part of the fitrah [natural inclinations of man]: trimming the moustache, letting the beard grow, using the miswak (tooth-stick), rinsing the nose with water, clipping the nails, washing the finger joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving the pubes and washing oneself with water after relieving one’s self.” How to Get About in Those Hairy Situations
 >>> By Sumayyah Meehan

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Bushy Beards in the Forces are ‘In’!

Photo courtesy of the TimesOnline

TIMESONLINE: Their grizzly and unkempt facial hair could not be further removed from the regulation short back and sides that of the modern British Servicemen.

But in a historic exception to regulations, RAF soldiers have been given permission to grow bushy beards for tours of duty in Afghanistan. Permission to shave, sir? No! (more) » By Fiona Hamilton

Mark Alexander

Allah Loves Beards!
Allah has lots of time to worry about hair! In fact, He's got a thing about it! So if you men wish to gain favour with Allah, you must let your beard grow (and flow), and trim your moustache. Be warned: If you do not, you will not find favour with Allah in the Hereafter! Now you know it. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Trim the moustache closely, and let the beard flow (grow)". (Muslim)

"Act against (contrary) to the polytheists, trim closely the moustache and grow the beard." (Muslim)

"Trim closely the moustache and grow the beard". (Muslim)

"I have no connection with one who shaves, shouts and tears his clothing e.g. in grief or affection". (Bukhari and Muslim)

"Any one who shaves has no claim to the mercy of ALLAH." (Tabraani)

Laws Pertaining to the Beard
Miscellaneous Laws Pertaining to the Beard
Laws Pertaining to the Hair of the Head
Laws Pertaining to the Moustache
Laws Pertaining to Nasal Hair and Eyebrows
Laws Pertaining to Body Hair
Laws Pertaining to Pubic Hair
Laws Pertaining to Dying One’s Hair

Mark Alexander