Elif on the “moustache polemic”

It?s just the matter of ?moustache?

These days, Turkey witnesses an interesting argument between Hüseyin Çelik (vice president of AKP) and Devlet Bahçeli (the head of MHP) which can be called as a ?moustache polemic?

A few days ago, Mr. Çelik told that there were some people who look like militants with their long mustache in the task force. And Bahçeli replied:

?It?s better like this than having an army with full of people who have moustaches like AKP politicians? , called as ?badem bıyık?.

I think it?s an important case to see different moustache styles signiffy different authorities.

One of the authors of Milliyet newspaper Can Dündar refers the moustache case in terms of ?authority?.

According to Mr. Dündar  moustache always symbolized different ideologies. Hitler?s moustache was the symbol of fascism Stalin?s moustache was a reminder of communism.

Dündar examined this ?moustache polemic? in the context of 1980 coup d?etat that lead to an apolitical climate in Turkey. He told that after September coup there was a ?social shaving?, so that mustache, the political symbol, suddenly disappeared.

At that time, mustache suddenly lost prestige and the blade ads had their most successful period. Besides, EU told that Turkey can join EU just on one condition: Turkey should say goodbye to mustache.

After those days, moustache has retrieved its charisma with the polemic between Çelik and Bahçeli. Moustache as a symbol has come out after it was vanished in 1980.