SO THERE'S A MUSLIM PREACHER APPARENTLY IN TURKEY THAT HAS
DECIDED THAT BEARDS ARE NECESSARY.
ACCORDING TO THE QURAN THEY'RE NOT NECESSARY.
IT IS NOT IN THE TEXT AND DEPENDING ON THE DIFFERENT
CULTURES AND REGIONS THAT PRACTICE ISLAM, SOME SAY,
LIKE IN AFGHANISTAN FOR THE TALIBAN THEY SAY IT IS
NECESSARY.
WIDE PARTS OF THE MUSLIM WORLD DON'T THINK IT'S NECESSARY
LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT IN THE QURAN BUT THIS GUY THINKS
THERE'S A VERY GOOD REASON WHY MEN SHOULD HAVE BEARDS.
LET'S HEAR HIM OUT.
HE SAYS:
THIS IS FROM NEWSWEEK.
HE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN:
I WOULD ARGUE THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS BUT IT'S FUNNY THAT
HE SAID ONE THING AND THEN THE OTHER THING, ANYWAY YOU SEE
MY POINT.
NOT EXACTLY.
I DON'T QUITE SEE IT BUT IT IS ABOUT GET
WORSE.
HE SAYS:
IF YOU SEE A MAN WHO HAS LONG HAIR YOU MIGHT THINK HE IS
A WOMAN IF HE DOESN'T HAVE A APPEARED.
NOWADAYS MEN AND WOMEN DRESSED SIMILARLY, YOU COULD BE
POSSESSED BY INDECENTÖ LET ME GET THIS RIGHT.
IF A GUY DOESN'T HAVE A BEARD YOU MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY GET
TURNED ON BY HIM SO YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAS A BEARD.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES PEOPLE SAY SOMETHING AND THEY PROBABLY
THINK THAT EVERYBODY THINKS THE SAME WAY BUT ONCE IT'S OUT
THERE THEY REALIZE, OH NO.
OTHER PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK THAT WAY.
HE IS LIKE, YOU'RE WITH ME, RIGHT.
IF A GUY DOESN'T HAVE A BEARD, HE LOOKS GOOD.
GOD FOR BID, YOU HAVE INDECENT THOUGHTS ABOUT YOU LOOKS GOOD.
A BEARD, NOT AS ATTRACTIVE.
NOT INTERESTED ANYMORE.
YOU'RE WITH ME, RIGHT?
OH NO.
I THINK I'M ALLOWED TO DO A TURKISH ACCENT.
I THINK I CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT ONE.
MAGDALENA KIRCNER WORKS AT THE ISTANBUL POLICY CENTER.
SHE'S A FELLOW THERE AND HERE'S WHAT SHE WROTE ABOUT OVERALL
CONTEXT
FOR THIS:
OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE TRYING TO CHANGE THE CULTURE AND THIS IS
PART OF HOW THEY TRIED TO DO IT BECAUSE TURKEY USED TO BE DEEPLY
SECULAR, ONE OF THE MOST SECULAR COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.
IT
WAS WRITTEN INTO THE TURKISH CONSTITUTION BUT THE
RIGHT-WINGERS IN TURKEY DON'T WANT THAT.
THEY WANT RELIGION TO OVERTAKE GOVERNMENT AND THAT IS WHY
I HAPPEN TO THINK THEY ARE DANGEROUS ON TOP OF BEING
CLOWNISH AS THIS PARTICULAR PREACHER IS.
NEWSWEEK EXPLAINS:
I BELIEVE THE CULTURE IS MONUMENTALLY IMPORTANT AND IT
CAN AFFECT THE COUNTRY OVERALL AND WHAT PEOPLE THINK AND IT IS
DONE IN THESE WAYS SO I THINK IT IS INCUMBENT UPON TURKS AND ALL
OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING AMERICANS HERE IN THE US AS WELL
TO GUESS, ENGAGE IN THOSE CULTURE CONFLICTS IF YOU
WILL AND SO IF YOU ARE SECULAR, BE PROUD OF IT.
YOU SHOULD BE.
THAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THE GOVERNMENT.
YOU DON'T WANT ANY ONE PARTICULAR RELIGION TAKING OVER
THE GOVERNMENT OR ONE INTERPRETATION OF THE SAME
RELIGION TO TAKE OVER THE GOVERNMENT BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAS
A DIFFERENCE OR PETITION OF THEIR RELIGIONS AND THAT'S HOW
YOU GET TO AUTHORITARIAN FORM OF GOVERNMENT THAT I THINK IS
THE OPPOSITE OF DEMOCRACY.
I JUST WOULD ALSO LIKE TO KNOW ONE LAST THING FOR THE RECORD.
HERE'S A PICTURE OF PRESIDENT ERDOGAN.
HE DOESN'T APPEAR TO HAVE A BEARD.
I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING BUT WE'LL HAVE TO ASK THE PREACHER
WHAT HE THINKS ABOUT THAT.