Close Shave in Gaza

What is it about beards? In some places –-Afghanistan, Iraq-- you're in big trouble if you don't wear a shag carpet on your face. That's because certain sects of Muslim fundos believe that the only pious man is one who wears his beard at least two fists long. Never mind if a Muslim prays five times a day to Mecca and feeds the poor; if he doesn't have a beard, he's suspect.

When I was in Baghdad last year, Sunni zealots in one neighborhood went around killing barbers because they cut off other men's facial hair. Forgive me for thinking that murder might be slightly more reprehensible in the eyes of the Almighty than shaving your cheeks. (In the interests of full-disclosure, I tried like mad to make my beard grow as fast as possible when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan. Foolishly, I thought it might make me blend in.)

But in Gaza, there's a new beard etiquette. If you have one, you die.

This trend started during last week's feud between Hamas and Fatah, the rival Palestinian factions. Hamas boys tend to be devout and wear beards. (Well, because of the steamy Mediterranean heat, you can get by with longish stubble.). And so, Fatah killers, usually snipers shooting from building tops or roving death squads, close in on anyone who is young, male and wearing a beard.

It doesn't matter whether the victim actually belongs to Hamas –-often they don't—they get shot, anyway. The lucky ones are only shot in the legs, crippled for life. One Hamas official, quoted in the Jerusalem Post, said that that over 40 bearded men were hospitalized last week after being kidnapped and shot in both legs by Fatah thugs. A ghastly video popped up on Youtube.com a few days back that shows a youth lying in the street, blood running from both legs and crying for help. Then, an alleged Fatah gunman saunters up to and puts a bullet in his head.

But wait a minute, aren't Fatah supposed to be the good Palestinians, the reasonable, moderate guys that the Bush Administration is backing?

I'm afraid so.

Not surprisingly, this killing of bearded guys has prompted a race to the barbershops in Gaza. One Gaza friend, who defiantly refuses to shave off his designer stubble, told me: “Even the Israelis would be ashamed of doing this.”

But even my brave friend didn't want to push his luck too far; he stayed indoors until the latest cease-fire was declared on Saturday. Four previous truces last week didn't last much longer than it takes to re-load an AK-47. As one Hamas official told the Jerusalem Post, “We never imagined that the day would come when Muslim men would be afraid to walk in the street because they were wearing beards.”

Razors, anyone?
by Tim McGirk/Jerusalem