Taking It On The Chin

‘ANORAK’S grooming editor Giles Koran has for some time now been predicting a beard revival. And lo, it has come to pass.

Trend-setter: ‘South Waziristan’s Brad Pitt’, Zakir Shaikh

And it all started in Wana, which is the capital of South Waziristan, but something of a backwater in the world of fashion.

Fashion police have kick-started the trend for facial hair by targeting local barbers and threatening to shoot them if they shave their customers.

“They said, ‘we will kill anyone who does any shaving’,” a local resident told the Telegraph. He added that they also broke mirrors for good measure.

The paper explains that the campaign against barbers is part of a surge in support for Taliban-style rules in frontier areas, and is backed by the Waziristan tribesman.

The move was cautiously welcomed by Giles Koran, who has recently grown a beard himself. However, he advises readers that facial hair must be neatly trimmed and carefully maintained, and advises against the full-blown fundamentalist style, which is not compatible with a business suit.

“Scruffiness of any kind is unforgivable,” he warned, and dabbed his face with a scented hanky before heading off to write another delightful column.’

Posted: 17th, February 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink