Dozens of bearded police officers protested on Wednesday in front of the Interior Ministry demanding that they be returned to work after being suspended because of their beards.
The officers accused the Interior Ministry of discrimination and President Mohamed Morsy of not fulfilling his promises to let them go back to work.
The protesters chanted, “No to discrimination, Interior Ministry,” and held up banners that read, “Why does the Interior Ministry reject the Sunnah?”
Captain Ali Hemida, an officer with the Central Security Forces, denounced Interior Ministry officials returning to their posts after being acquitted of killing protesters during the 25 January revolution, while the bearded officers “adhere to the Sunnah by having a beard and are suspended from work with their complaints to the Administrative Court rejected.”
Captain Ahmed Hamdy, the spokesperson for the “I am a bearded policeman” coalition said, “Today's demonstration is a protest against the lack of respect for the judiciary, especially after one of our colleagues received a final and enforceable verdict to return to work.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
