Dilemma of an IAF officer: To shave or not to shave?

Saharanpur: The Darul Uloom, an Islamic institution, at Deobad, in this district in Uttar Pradesh, has advised a member of the community to look for another job if keeping a beard is against the rule of his employer.

Till a new job is found, he can shave his beard if it has been made compulsory by him and ask the God for forgiving him for the act which was against his will.

Another advice given to him on his query is that he should do it only till the time that he does not find another job where it has not been made a must.

In other words, the institution does not favour working at a place where keeping a beard is not allowed. He could leave the job immediately if he is economically well off. A report reaching here on Tuesday said that he was employed by the Indian Air Force.

He had joined the Force at an early age when he had no beard . The issue has cropped up only now when he has black hair on this face and promoted to an officer’s rank. He was in two minds as leaving the organisation before a certain period will deny pension to him.

The Uloom, in addition, has also advised him to seek legal opinion.

A BJP spokesman, Vijay Pathak, called the advice a Fatwa and said that it only meant that for the community religion was first and everything else came afterwards.