Dozens of Egyptian policemen are staging an open-ended sit-in in front of the Interior Ministry to demand their right to wear a beard while on duty.
"We want Egypt to be based on the values of the revolution: to not ban people based on gender or religion," police officer and beard ban protester, Hany Al-Shakery, told a CNN reporter in Cairo.
After the 2011 revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak, many Egyptians felt that they were free to practice Islam, which – some believe – stipulates men have to wear beards.
"The Islamic sharia requires me to wear a beard, and I respect my religion," Shakery added.
During Mubarak's era, police used to quell Islamist groups, who were seen as enemies of the state. During his rule, sporting any kind of beard precluded Egyptians from holding senior government posts.
However, after his ouster, police officers and army men continued to be barred from growing their beards. Those who chose to do so were suspended.
Court rule
After previous protests and sit-ins by police officers demanding to be allowed back to work without being forced to shave their beards, Egypt's high Administrative Court ruled in March that policemen may grow beards, ending the decades-old convention of barring them to do so.
However, the Interior Ministry denied that there was any final decision on the beard ban.
"The Interior Ministry has not been officially notified of any court verdicts or instructions to implement a court verdict. ... When the Interior Ministry is notified of such a verdict, it will take the necessary legal measures to implement [it]," Egypt Independent quoted the ministry as saying.
The beard ban has also accentuated the secularist-Islamist divide in Egypt.
Blogger rights activist Wael Abbas claims that bearded officers are on a mission to Islamize the police force.
"I will not feel comfortable that the cop, who stops me to ask me for a deriving license is a bearded officer," he told CNN.
During his campaign to presidency, Egypt's President Mohammed Mursi -- a member of the Muslim Brotherhood – said he had no objection to members of the security forces growing beards.
19 Mar, 2013
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Source: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/2013/03/18/-My-beard-is-my-right-Egypt-s-policemen-protest-against-ban-.html
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