By Dylan Takores
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

CAIRO, Egypt – A coalition of eighteen Egyptian police officers formed a group to protest the Ministry of the Interior’s refusal to allow the police officers to express their religious views by growing beards.

 

The Ministry’s code of conduct requires that all officers maintain a “presentable appearance.”  Officers must be clean-shaven to fulfill this requirement.  In response, the officers created a Facebook page entitled “I am a bearded police officer” and have since drawn attention and support from several Muslim groups.

The officers claim that the Ministry oppressed their right to engage in a traditional Islamic practice.  Captain Hani al-Shakeri, the group’s official spokesman, wrote on the Facebook page “many Egyptians are keen to see police officers in Egypt grow their beards and follow the example of their prophet.”  They also contend that wearing a beard would not interfere with their ability to perform police duties.

The Ministry of the Interior suspended the bearded officers for violating codes of conduct that prohibit police officers from growing beards.  On February 20, an Administrative Court ruled that the officers should be allowed to return to work.  However, the Ministry ignored the court’s decision and refused to allow the officers to return.

Many have protested the decision.  The officers have been engaged in a sit-in since the Ministry refused to implement the court’s decision.  On March 1, protestors at Abdeen Palace in Cairo rallied in support of the officers.  Last Friday, a large crowd of protestors gathered in Assiut as well.

Islamic scholars at al-Azhar, the world’s foremost Sunni Islam institution, debate the issue.  Abdel Hamid al-Atrash, the former head of al-Azhar’s Religious Edicts Committee, states that the protest is a waste of time and effort.  He asserts that the officers should “maintain the appearance that goes with the status of the police even if this would make them go against a preferred practice in Islam.”

Conversely, former head of al-Azhar’s Scholars Union, Mohamed al-Berri, reasons that capacity to perform official duties should be the primary concern for officers.  He believes the officers should be allowed to wear beards “as long as this does not affect their performance.”

Captain al-Shakeri wrote “[a]t last I get to regain my humanity which I had lost during the oppressive regime.”  Al-Berri echoed this sentiment, stating that the Ministry’s refusal to allow beards is a remnant of pre-revolution mentality.

The officers called for a march to take place in downtown Cairo on March 22.  The officers intend to use the slogan “We will not give up” during the march.

 

For further information, please see:

Ahram – Egypt’s bearded policemen call for march – 14 March 2013

Muslims Debate – Egyptian police officers requests to grow beards, right to religious appearance in workplace – 14 March 2013

Egypt Independent – Bearded policemen remain at loggerheads with Interior Ministry – 10 March 2013

Egypt Independent – Facebook pages call for allowing police, army officers to grow beards – 19 February 2012