The Men Evading Tajikistan's de-facto Beard Ban

'I did not grow a beard to be vulgar but because it's beautiful',
says Romish Ibrohimov.

THE GUARDIAN: Reports indicate the government is clamping down on facial hair on religious grounds, but the rules don’t seem to apply to all. Global Voices Online reports

Russia’s great moderniser Peter the Great was responsible for one of history’s strangest tariffs: the beard tax.

Now, more than 300 years later Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon is clamping down on facial hair with the same fervour, seemingly linked to the government’s ongoing campaign against the influence of Islam in Tajik society.

Reports that police in the former Soviet state have been forcibly shaving men with facial hair are widespread.

In April, Rustam Gulov claims the police took him into custody and shaved him against his will. “Judging by the hair in the room, I estimate they shaved the beards of approximately 200-250 people before me,” the well-known blogger later wrote. » | Global Voices Online, part of the New East network | Monday, September 7, 2015