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Dramatic moustache causes man to flee hometown
Mohammad Afridi was forced to leave Khyber Agency when militants declared his moustache un-Islamic.
Afridi’s 30-inch moustache is clearly one of its kind. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Malik Ameer Muhammad Afridi has become a celebrity in his own right owing to his 30-inch long moustache curling up to his forehead which he proudly displays along the streets of Peshawar.
Aside from the usual looks of amusement, Afridi’s gangling moustache managed to draw the attention of members of militant group Lashkar-e-Islami.
The iconoclastic facial hair caused him to abandon his hometown of Bara in Khyber Agency after the militants declared it ‘un-Islamic’.
“It was the summer of 2008, when members of the LeI arrested me and took me to a religious scholar who declared the moustache un-Islamic and ordered it to be shaved,” he said.
The pride of Afridi’s life was shaved at gunpoint. Refusing to be cowed by the militants’ threats, however, he decided to move to Peshawar so that his moustache may thrive unfettered.
Afridi said he has not been able to visit his hometown for four years owing to the threat of ‘anti-moustache’ militants. “I left my dear homeland, my friends and relatives and prepared to sacrifice all that but will not compromise my moustache,” he said.
Afridi has been living in Peshawar after braving ‘anti-moustache’ hardliners in Khyber Agency.
Now, he proudly displays his handle-bar moustache in the relatively secure environs of the provincial capital. The 47-year-old runs an electronics business in Deen Plaza and says, “My moustache style is unique. It has made my tribesmen proud as no one in Pakistan has such a moustache.”
Afridi also said his moustache had gained him respect, adding that people even give him their turn while standing in queues outside banks and other places.
Afridi’s moustache-care regime is elaborate. Spending 30 minutes grooming himself every day, he uses oil extracts of almond and coconut to nourish the hair. He then fashions the handlebar whiskers into crescent-like curls using a German-made gel.
However, his gangling whiskers did not amuse his wife. She urged him to get rid of it since he had run afoul of the militants.
Despite his wife’s protestations, Afridi said he would only surrender his moustache – over his dead body.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 12th, 2012.
Reader Comments (55)
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poor guys gonna get another trim once “they” read this article… all the best!
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You rock man….
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Exactly how many of these Lashkars are there? Everyday you hear of something insane coming from some Lashkar or Tehreek or whatever. Someone should write an encyclopedia of crazy Pakistani religious organizations. It would be helpful to assess just how much this cancer has spread.
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I have already meet with Malik Ameer Muhammad Afridi with Mr.Umar Afridi & Mr.Ayaz Mehmmod last Ijtma at Raiwind.
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His mustache brings Talibans to the yard !!!
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i saw that man 2 days back at Garrison Park Peshawar
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for the people who confuses khyber agency wth peshawar.. PESHAWAR is a safe and secure place
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Proved: Mooch Nahi to Kuch Nahi “No Moustache then Nothing you have”.
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are not mustaches secular? :o
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Good and appreciate able story……..
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AGENCIES dont like MEN WITH IMPOSING PERSONALITY.He better shave them off,or face consequences.There cant be two lions in their territory.
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Where we are heading….. :s
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More then any thing else, these militants are un islamic.
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@saad:
Yes, relatively secure. Thanks to God.
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Those left with some sense, rationale and logic read the news and commented, laughter is the best medicine. So is the image Pakistan is getting every where due to these uncontrollable militants.
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Cute story!
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Mustaches have been very important in South Asia from times immemorial. The worst way you could insult your enemy/adversary was to shave off his mustache. Being Pakistanis, you do know the story of your President and the Half Mustache, I am sure.
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LOL! im rolling on the floor…..
hats off to the mans determination against these talibunnies….
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Nice decision by taliban.;
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The “Scholar” who declared these mostaches un-Islamic could not shaved mostache of his wife. That explains the hatred.
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My qn is: is it the left or the right mustache thats blasphemous?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One cant be too careful these days.
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Good job Assad,
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Aside from the amusement of the story, here is a serious consequence in making, so watch out:
These same mullahs won’t hesitate to declare the clean shaven ones as unislamic and the punishment won’t be shaving the face. I am not kidding here.
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Pakistanis have nothing better to focus their lives on in a constructive manner. At least the poor guy is not causing harm to anyone by his act of keeping a peculiar mustache style. Let him keep his mustache this way, if thats what that makes him happy.
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@Lashkar-e-Cuckoo:
hahaha “Lashkar-e-Cuckoo” .nice :p
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Lashkar-e-cuckoo….hahhaha love your name.
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LOL! Lashkar only approves WILD beard with a dash of dirt.
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sorry for this guy we pakhtoons are with you and salute you.. Recommend
a big LOL
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Sorry unfortunately no where in Pakistan is really safe for one reason or another@saad:
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When will this lunacy end
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Now its jihad against the mustaches, keep it up Lashkar-e-M.
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@Chotay Mahraj:
And they’re like “my beard is better than yours”.
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May God be with you against these ignorant, lifeless, barbaric and lower than life thugs who very shamelessly call them selves Muslims and above all humanbeings.
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what a moustache; i believe he has the biggest moustache in Pakistan. the govt should buy from him to place it in a museum.
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Rana Sana Ullah should be careful. His whiskers too were shaved by Lashker e Mussharraf.
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This is not Islam this is talbanization. I wonder why other religions are failed to produce such terrorists groups.
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Thanks to ET for mentioning where this poor guy is doing business…………..pathetic.
Who well be responsible if they reach him after this article?
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@Jibran:
Surely a good suggestion, but the museum shall have to be protected against an attack by the outfits of Islamic values.
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Looking like maharaja from indian history book.
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Hats off this man rocks very nice mustaches lot of claps for him, Real talibans are fighting in Afghanistan for their sovereignty all other kind of criminal gangsters talibans creating instability in Pakistan on the orders of CIA raw mossad as Pakistan got nuclear bomb just making excuses for their terrorist activities rather then helping the talibans fighting in Afghanistan oil hunger of west is increasing all Muslim states in trouble need unity strong economy and technology.
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Incidentally, the Guinness record for the longest mustache is held by an Indian. But, regrettably, his mustache droops down instead of curling up proudly as this man’s!
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Even a moustache is not safe in Pakistan!
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Pakistanis every day fail to realize that as long as they allow the mullahs and religious clerics in their corner mosques and madrassas to control their lives, such nonsense will never cease to finish. It will always come up in one form or the other. Religion has no space in pubic and must always be kept private but sadly, people fail to realize this and as a result, suffer from its consequences on a daily basis.
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Lord, these idiots will go after anything. What’s next banning women from wearing chapals because you can see their toes?
a tache? REALLY? He’s probably, actually since these idiots go against everything that Islam stands for, he IS a better Muslim then they will ever be, give him a break.
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By the way Pakistanis,
Dr. Shakil Afridi is actually accused of being a part of this very same extremist group. He is not accused for treason.
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He should definitely attend World Mustache and Beard Championship.
http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/
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Please come to Germany for world mustache championship.
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@Asad: You assume they can read, huh? :)
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@saad:
Is Peshawar not in Pakistan?
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Afridi saab, you have attached.
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@Waseem: and one of the persons say in the comments that he saw him few days back in garrision park Peshawar…..God protect him from evil eyes
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@Saima Cheema:
shame on u..
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@mr. righty rightist:
But Dr. Shakeel has a tash too, albeit a much smaller one, doesn’t he?
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Here in the United States, there are Beard and Mustache championships all the time. This man would win some of them, but he would face stiff competition. His mustache style is known as an “Imperial” mustache.
He would be competing in my category, as I have a mustache similar to this man’s, but nowhere near as long. He should come to the U.S. in November for the U.S. beard and Mustache championship…he would surely win!
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