Puntland police warns barbers against Western haircuts

Puntland police have sent out a harsh warning to Garowe’s barber shops forbidding them to offer their customers western haircuts on Wednesday.

The police said the barbers were encouraging un-Islamic behaviour by offering Western hairstyles for men.

“We have severally warned the barbers that it is haram — forbidden — to do Western-style haircuts but it seems they are turning deaf ears to orders… Western hair styles … have been banned,” said Nugal police commissioner, Abshir Farah in an interview with Goobjoog News.

He pointed out that currently some barber shops use (hair) styles that are in line with those in European countries and America.

“We are going to shut several barber shops as they are purveyors of decadent “western” culture” he added

The commissioner mentioned several approved Muslim hairstyles in effort to ban the “decadent Western cuts.”

“Short and conservative haircuts have been given the thumbs up” he said.

This appears to be another sign of the authorities cracking down on clothing and other fashion deemed to be against Islamic values.

Many young Somali men have in recent years started paying more attention to the way they look and dress, especially in affluent parts of the big towns,  Somali boys like to get popular western hair cut known as Rooster style and even some also use make-up.

Somali clerics have called for action against un-Islamic dressers—including un-Islamic hairstyles and men donning low-rise jeans.

BY: Ahmed Mohamed Adan