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Meet the Egyptian version of the Hatfields and McCoys.

Two families in the Upper Egyptian Qena province decided to settle a feud with blades, but no lives were lost in the cutting that followed.

Instead a family in Mahrousa village in western Qena held hostage a member of its rival family, shaved his moustache, beard, hair and eyebrows, then set him free.

Shortly afterwards, the family of the shaved man kidnapped a member of the other family and did the same to him. Then they celebrated their revenge by firing gunshots in the air.

A fight broke out between the two families until the police stepped in, arresting people and confiscating weapons.

The situation was resolved only when Qena governor, senior police officers, public leaders and parliamentarians interfered to bring about a reconciliation between the two sides, fearing the situation would have deteriorated.

Banners later appeared in the region with the slogan, ‘Take care of your moustache!’ In Upper Egypt, men consider their moustaches a mark of manhood and pride.

I guess in Upper Egypt, they haven’t yet been introduced to Hummers.

About the author

Picture of David Lange

David Lange

A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
Picture of David Lange

David Lange

A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
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