Add another illustrious claim to fame for Philadelphia -- apparently we're the home of the "Sunni-type beard."
What am I talking about? A Friend of Attytood just forwarded a news release from the Philadelphia Police Department about two criminal suspects in a May 16 murder and home invasion. The first one is a black male who's described as wearing "a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans. Black boots. Full sunni (sic) type beard."
I had never heard of a Sunni, or sunni type beard -- hopefully there's not a bloody civil war involving them against Shia, or shia, type beards on the streets of Philadelphia. Actually, at first I assumed it was just my own ignorance, that "sunni type beards" were a well-known phenomenon.
Except that it isn't a well-known phenomenon. Just Google the words "sunni type beard" and you only get 12 results, and several of them are news releases from the Philadelphia Police Department. Then you learn from the police Web site Domelights that at least one commanding officer tried to ban the phrase last year, leading to this anonymous rant against political correctness:
Thanks to liberal political correct pencil pushers with authority like you, you are placing the citizens of your district in danger and destroying our ability to our job, a job you seem to have forgotten how to do. Well at least you can say to the mother of a shooting victim "well we could have caught him but he had a certain type of beard we are not allowed to say in case his feelings were hurt as he shot your son while running from the point of gun robbery he just committed." Disgraceful, simply put and you should be ashamed.
Nothing's more important than getting a murderous home-invading thug off the street, so if the phrase "sunni type beard" somehow helped catch this guy, I'd be all for it. But it's really not at all clear what a "sunni type beard" is. One of the other news releases describes the suspect as a having a "long sunni type beard," but the beard as drawn in the first news release is short (and drawn completely differently).
In fact, the first guy's beard, as drawn, looks exactly like what I would call...a goatee. So what's the deal with the "sunni type beard"? I have no earthly idea.
Sometimes a goatee is just a goatee... The real tragic thing here is that the "goatee" is not a "full, sunni type beard." In contemporary Islam a longer beard is associated with Sunnis, a more closely trimmed beard with Shia Muslims. Perhaps if they would actually, you know, use the terms *correctly* then they wouldn't need to go off on some half-cocked, Arn-style rant about how their prejudices aren't being affirmed...— E.Plebnista- Will we lose track of them if they make the playoffs?— lutton
- ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Slow at the news desk, right Willie?— shoeshineboy
Notice the ranter's kneejerk assumption that banning the use of the terms moslem type or sunni-type (only in flash communication, mind you) is just over-the-top political correctness. It never occurred to the dim wit that those terms may cause added confusion by creating the mental image of a caucasian arab, when the suspect might be black or oriental (as in the PPD's example above). In the heat of police work, I would hope that officers are protected from any chance to be mistaken.- Well, don't know why my first comment is "held for approval" but... The goatee is NOT a "sunni-type" beard - no matter the lunatic ramblings of the prejudiced. "Sunni-type" beards are long and full (Shia are, in general, shorter and cropped). But, hey, when have the "conservatives" let the "facts" get in the way of their hatred?— E.Plebnista
Comment removed.- Does that mean we would also ban the use of "Amish-type beard"? Or the Charlie Chaplin moustache (wondering if typing the name of the other guy who wore that moustache would result in my comment being "held")? Or the Clarke Gable moustache? Or the Miami Vice beard? Or the Salvador Dali moustache? Abraham Lincoln beard?— Captain Awesome
- Cap, did the prophet Mohammed have a beard?— Domenic
- Maybe the "French Fork" - unless you want to call it the "Freedom Fork" of course. Or the Musketeer - unless that's still too "French" for you. Or maybe the Van Dyk - unless you think Flanders is too close to France for your comfort. Oh, the heck with it. Let's just call it a "Sunni type" because it doesn't really matter if our descriptions are correct or not - after all, you're just advertising your prejudice...— E.Plebnista
- This quality posting from the same guy who works at a newspaper that gives more space to time on Booker/Alicia Lane and Bonnie and Clyde than the latest developments in Iraq.— jeffreyg61
- Number of stories with "Alycia Lane" in philly.com search results of today's stories: zero. Number of stories with "Iraq" in philly.com search results or today's stories: 21 (Iraq-related, another half dozen or so with "Iraq" in some way in the title. Last story with Alycia Lane (or Booker) published? Last Saturday. Again "reality" and "facts" intrude upon the myopic worldview of the marginalized minority...— E.Plebnista
- "Long beards, traditionally associated with devout Sunnis, are out. Shia men keep beards much shorter." From a BBC story about how Sunni arabs were cutting their long beards to be less recognizable to Shia death squads. Nope, no such thing as a Sunni beard... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6357129.stm— Grill
- I'm also happy to learn that Karen Heller will be embarrassing the Inquirer twice weekly starting June 9th. No wonder I haven't bought a paper in years.— jeffreyg61
- Grill, does that mean that people who read the police press release have to keep with the cutting-edge trends regarding Sunni facial hair?— Captain Awesome
- What differentiates a "long sunni-type beard" from a "long beard"? Who can name one difference without looking anything up? Seriously.— Politburo
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
E-mail Will by clicking here.
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