Men Without Beards Are Just Like Women and Provoke 'Indecent' Thoughts, Islamic Preacher Says



Men without beards "cannot be distinguished from women" and can provoke "indecent thoughts," an Islamic preacher in Turkey told the religious television station Fatih Medreseleri.

"Men should grow beards. [Beards are] one of the two body parts that separate men from women," Murat Bayaral said Saturday.

"For example, if you see a man with long hair from afar, you may think he is a woman if he does not have a beard. Because nowadays, women and men dress similarly. God forbid! You could be possessed by indecent thoughts," he explained, expressing fear that men might look at members of the same sex with sexual interest.