Egypt’s Mustache War

Agence France Press alerts us to the intriguing Mustache War of southern Egypt:

CAIRO – When an elder was kidnapped in a clan dispute in conservative southern Egypt, the Al Arab family’s worst fears were soon realized – they received a package containing his mustache, local media reported Sunday.

The man himself was returned uninjured, but the use of the new shaving tactic sent shockwaves through the town of Mahrusa, near Luxor, 650 kilometers (400 miles) south of Cairo, where a man’s honor is measured by the size of his mustache, the Al-Gumhuriya daily said.

The conflict that started with a coffee shop brawl, swiftly spiraled out of control, with the Al-Arab carrying out a humiliating reprisal shave on a leading member of the Fallaheen family, followed by all-out battles with sticks and clubs. Police and community leaders then intervened, restoring a relative calm to the town, the paper said, with those worst hit by the conflict set to remain indoors for the coming weeks pending the regrowth of their manliness.

Let us hope that, in the face of this senseless aggression, all sides will, er, keep a stiff upper lip!

...Let us hope also that none of the victims was a member of the Egyptian Society for Special Mustaches, highlighted in this article.

One of the most prominent members is pictured above.

“I fought the law and the law won…”

Quick question: Which country arrests the most Islamists?

Answer: Not the one you’re thinking of. In fact, the United States, England and France aren't even close.

A sampling of yesterday’s Associated Press news reports highlights the fact that the real crackdown on Islamists is taking place not in Western countries, but in Arab ones. Let’s peruse the news:

Jordanian police arrest 7 Islamists for allegedly forming armed militias

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) – Police arrested seven members of Jordan’s largest Muslim opposition group for allegedly setting up armed militias with the aim of destabilizing the kingdom, the group’s leader said Thursday.

The latest arrests bring to nine the total number of activists with the Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement, who were detained by police since May 22.

Saudi authorities arrest 11 alleged militants in the past 48 hours

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) – Saudi police have arrested 11 suspected militants, including one allegedly involved in last year’s foiled suicide attack on the world’s largest oil processing facility, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

The official Saudi Press Agency, quoting an unidentified ministry official, said the men were all Saudi and belonged to “the deviant group,” the term Saudi officials use to refer to Islamic militants and members of al-Qaida.

...In April, police arrested more than 170 al-Qaida-linked plotters accused of planning to replicate the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by dispatching suicide pilots to military bases and launching attacks on the oil refineries that drive the economy in Osama bin Laden's homeland.

Egyptian police arrest 41 more members of Muslim Brotherhood

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Authorities on Thursday detained 41 more members of Egypt’s banned Muslim Brotherhood, a police official said. The arrests were the
latest in an ongoing crackdown on the country’s strongest opposition group.

...The police official gave no reason for the arrests, but said the detained were posting religious banners in their districts.

...A statement posted later Thursday on the Brotherhood’s official Web site claimed that so far, 814 of its members are in detention since December, including 646 members arrested following a recent police step-up in the crackdown ahead of nationwide elections for the upper house of Parliament, known as the Shura Council.

This is by no means an exhaustive list; it is but a single day’s tally in only three Arab states. Just tiles in a larger mosaic, if you will, that will be the topic of future posts here.