Turkish Digest Advertising Rates

Annual Advertising options

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

In Turkey, it's all about the beard - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East

In Turkey, it's all about the beard

On Oct. 13, Turkish newspapers reported that men in the predominantly Kurdish southeast of Turkey are going to barber shops in record numbers to get a clean shave. Having a beard, according to the reports, is seen as a symbol of affiliation with the Islamic State (IS). A tweet made the rounds on multiple accounts stating: “If today no Kurd is scared to speak Kurdish, but Kurds are scared to wear a beard, that means there is pressure from the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party), not the Turkish state, on the people.”

More:In Turkey, it's all about the beard - Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East