Muslim gangs in Iraq are killing barbers who offer western haircuts or shaves to their male customers, the New York Times said Friday.
The problem appears particularly acute in Doura, a working-class enclave in southern Baghdad, where barbers are warned that shaving men or giving them certain types of haircuts popular in western nations offends Allah.
Barbers who fail to heed the warnings are shot, observers say. At least 12 have been killed recently, including five in one day.
The threats begin with notes posted on barber shop doors, advising it is forbidden to shave men's beards, to do facial massages or offer French-style haircuts known as the "carre" and the "spiky."
Such notes also warn against "hiffafa," the Iraqi practice in which barbers use a length of thread to pull out the small hairs on the face and give a closer shave.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
