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Hair-Razing Ordeal
The Jerusalem Post reports that "Hamas has resumed its policy of shaving mustaches of political opponents to humiliate them." Among the Gaza regime's victims: Nafez al-Namnam, "a top Fatah operative in the Strip" whose "unusually large," 30-year-old mustache was shaved off by Hamas interrogators during a recent detention. Fatah's Aksa Martyrs Brigades "issued a statement strongly condemning the shaving of Namnam's mustache and threatening retaliation." It's not clear what form the retaliation might take, but Hamas has "accused the Palestinian Authority security forces of shaving the beards of detained Hamas officials in the West Bank."
[Thanks to Jonathan Shaffer for the tip.]
|7.31.08 @ 4:45PM|#
Jim Henson used to tell a story that his future mother-in-law wouldn't let her daughter marry him because of his hippie hair and beard (actually he was a beatnik, not a hippie, but never mind). He got a haircut and shaved, and sent the clippings in an envelope marked "From Samson, to Delilah." He then married the girl.
|7.31.08 @ 4:46PM|#
No! No! No! You only shave one side of the 30 year old mustache. That's the humiliation -- he either has to shave the remaining half himself to even it up, or he has to walk around for years with one side heavier than the other! Were you people never in a fraternity?
Ska|7.31.08 @ 4:47PM|#
Apparently not, otherwise they would have drawn a big cock on his forehead with a sharpie.
Rimfax|7.31.08 @ 4:49PM|#
Forget shaving them, just wax them up and let them go. Either they rip it off, shave it off, or try to melt wax off their face.
Nigel Watt|7.31.08 @ 4:52PM|#
I get the feeling that most of those bright enough to think up such heart-wrenching mustache hijinks have left Gaza long ago.
|7.31.08 @ 4:52PM|#
I know Reason and its comments threads are all about snark, but I just don't see the humor in wanton humiliation of political prisoners. Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and WWII? Or is it just funny because the victims here are Arabs?
Episiarch|7.31.08 @ 5:02PM|#
I think we need to hunt down Mark and shave his tongue until he gets a sense of humor.
Warty|7.31.08 @ 5:09PM|#
Wrong, we need to wax his balls. Smooth, smooth balls...so smooth...excuse me a moment.
|7.31.08 @ 5:20PM|#
Hamas has resumed its policy of shaving mustaches of
political opponents to humiliate them.
The women, too? Heartless bastards!
|7.31.08 @ 5:20PM|#
Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans
shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and WWII? Or is
it just funny because the victims here are Arabs?
Both.
Warty|7.31.08 @ 5:28PM|#
Speaking of hay-rabs and shaving, here's a great old story about how Muslims are utterly batshit.
|7.31.08 @ 5:39PM|#
Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans
shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and
WWII?
Mark, in less than ideal cleanliness conditions (like being in
combat for an extended period of time), there is this condition
that can develope called 'lice'.
|7.31.08 @ 5:40PM|#
The NAZIs were only try to help the prisoners to get rid of a nasty head lice infestation.
|7.31.08 @ 5:42PM|#
This is exactly why we should have nothing to do with any of these Middle East, Middle Ages, morons. Just let them go about shaving and killing each other.
Ska|7.31.08 @ 5:47PM|#
So you're saying that they aren't ripe for a forced
democratization?
Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.
|7.31.08 @ 5:52PM|#
Mark -
mustaches are just inherently funny.
That being said, I'd definitely be out for blood if anyone harmed
mine.
Marcvs|7.31.08 @ 5:55PM|#
I know Reason and its comments threads are all about snark,
but I just don't see the humor in wanton humiliation of political
prisoners.
Hamas is a terrorist organization that is completely fucked up in
every way. That fact that it even exists offends me. So, yes, we
are laughing at one of their "antics" because the whole thing is so
asinine.
|7.31.08 @ 5:57PM|#
I know Reason and its comments threads are all about snark,
but I just don't see the humor in wanton humiliation of political
prisoners. Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans
shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and WWII? Or is
it just funny because the victims here are Arabs?
It seems that this is somewhat of an improvemnt over, y'know,
FUCKING KILLING EACH OTHER!
But that may be just me.
|7.31.08 @ 6:58PM|#
Nafez al-Namnam was heard to say:
"I thought they would kill me, but no they did not, it was a close
shave however"
Baadum tish
Baadum tish
and...
Baadum tish
Paul|7.31.08 @ 7:05PM|#
I guess if two rival Arab factions in the heart of the Palestine
controversy have been reduced to barber-related attacks, we can say
that some progress has been made.
When retaliation means sending a strongly worded letter, or
engaging in a major, and I mean major leaflet campaign, there are
worse things that could happen.
Paul|7.31.08 @ 7:08PM|#
Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans
shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and
WWII?
My father had been a prisoner of war in WWII, and I don't remember
him waking up in the middle of the night, in cold sweats, screaming
"No! Not the sideburns too! NOOooooo....."
I believe someone else pointed it out but uhh, they shaved the
heads of allied prisoners to delouse them, not as a humiliation. At
least that's what my Dad told me and he was... well, there 'n
stuff.
GILMORE|7.31.08 @ 7:47PM|#
They probably think the Gillette Mach3 Turbo is like some jew/crusader secret weapon to denude Islam
|7.31.08 @ 8:03PM|#
Let me get this straight; Al Quieda kills men for having hair that is too long. And it's considered humiliating when their moustaches are not long enough?
|7.31.08 @ 8:41PM|#
Don't bother trying to understand it logically, we're dealing with religion stuff here.
Ben|7.31.08 @ 9:01PM|#
Imagine what these bastards would do if they got their hands on Ron Jeremy. I don't even want to think about it.
DJ voton|7.31.08 @ 9:41PM|#
Do you guys find it equally hilarious that the Germans
shaved the heads of Allied prisoners of war in WWI and WWII? Or is
it just funny because the victims here are Arabs?
Both, actually.
|8.1.08 @ 8:48AM|#
I think if he were still around, ol' Charlie O. Finley would have something to say about all this.
Rimfax|8.1.08 @ 9:05AM|#
Mark,
Hamas is nowhere near as evil as da Nazis.
Fatah is nowhere near as innocent as the German Jewry (and other
prisoners.
Mustache shaving during a rough interrogation and release is
nowhere near as evil as permanent detention ending in either
starvation or a poison shower.
Other than that, your analogy is dead on and I, for one, am
thoroughly ashamed at my levity.
|8.1.08 @ 9:56AM|#
Hamas is nowhere near as evil as da Nazis.
Probably not, but if they had the capability the Germans did circa
1940, I think we would see them as quite a bit more evil than we
do.
|8.1.08 @ 10:50AM|#
When the Khwarizim forcibly shaved the beards of some Mongol emmissaries (using fire to assure permanent removal), Ghengis Khan laid the whole empire to waste, killing over 1 1/2 million people. Seems Asians take this whole beard, hair, and mustache thing entirely too seriously. I say that as a man with a full beard. My greatest fear if ever taken for interrogation is not "they will shave my beard." I have parts with hair that are a lot more sensitive than my face. LOL
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