The news bulletins in Britain never fail at the moment to
show pictures of Abu Qatada, the radical Islamic cleric who is suspected of
being a leading terrorist. The Government is much discomfited by the fact that
he just won an appeal against extradition to Jordan.
Well, I have no time for hard line clerics of any
persuasion, and I certainly don’t want terrorists walking the street where I
live (even though I’m sure that terrorists come in many forms, and work – both overtly
and covertly – under the guise of institutional respectability, sometimes close
to home.)
Nevertheless, it strikes me that such men as Qatada are
guilty in the public perception even without a trial. The problem is that not
only does he have a brown face, a foreign look, and a head covered by a funny
hat, but – most damning of all – he has a long, untrimmed beard. We in the west
are conditioned to expect our People in Power to be tightly groomed and mostly
clean shaven. Those who do sport a beard must keep it closely trimmed if they
are to avoid suspicious frowns. It’s all about neatness, control and
conformity, you see.
So, Mr Qatada, it seems you’re guilty, mate. The beard is all the
evidence we need.
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