# Full beards without mustache - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2015, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146 "2015-05-03T09:49:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/1 "2015-05-03T09:49:15Z")
It seems to me that many muslim clerics, most Amish and (maybe more in previous times) many Mormons are sporting full beards without a mustache. Is there any reason for this? Do any scriptures mention anything about the evils of mustaches or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/2 "2015-05-03T10:15:33Z")
I always think of [C. Everett Koop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Everett_Koop). It’s a very odd look very odd to me. ---
**Author:** ![jezzaOZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/3 "2015-05-03T10:17:21Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > It seems to me that many muslim clerics, most Amish and (maybe more in previous times) many Mormons are sporting full beards without a mustache. > > Is there any reason for this? Do any scriptures mention anything about the evils of mustaches or something like that? I don’t know about scripture, but the general idea is that moustaches are regarded as martial and so peaceful types shave their upper lip. However there is also some biblical idea that men should wear beards ( I vaguely recall something about not using razors or scissors on the face) Quite how the beheaders in Iraq and Syria manage to keep unshaven upper lips is a bit of a puzzle and may require a Wahhabi or Salafist scholar to answer. ---
**Author:** ![scoots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b77776/32.png) [@scoots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scoots)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/4 "2015-05-03T10:17:26Z")
Dunno about Amish but I think with Muslims it’s because they are trying to emulate Mohammed - says somewhere in the holy writings that he had a beard without a moustache. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/5 "2015-05-03T10:21:55Z")
Abraham Lincoln anyone? I’m pretty sure he wasn’t influenced by Muslim clerics. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/6 "2015-05-03T10:22:57Z")
For some reason, to me it looks normal on Lincoln but odd on everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/7 "2015-05-03T10:23:10Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I always think of [C. Everett Koop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Everett_Koop). It’s a very odd look very odd to me. [J. Paul McCartney](https://fernandocota.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/paul-mccartney-coming-up.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/8 "2015-05-03T10:24:48Z")
> [@Cugel](#): > > [J. Paul McCartney](https://fernandocota.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/paul-mccartney-coming-up.jpg) Are you certain that’s not a Keebler elf? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/9 "2015-05-03T10:29:31Z")
Practical answer from an irreligious, lazy shaver : if you let your beard grow forever, nothing bad happens. Beyond, y’know, sporting a bushy hobo beard. If you let your moustache grow unchecked however, it starts getting inside your mouth/hanging in front of your mouth, which is annoying as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/10 "2015-05-03T12:15:32Z")
I heard from a Mennonite friend of the family that the real reason, which they don’t talk about much, is that the womenfolk don’t like kissing them as much with moustaches. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/11 "2015-05-03T12:47:35Z")
Isn’t this a IMHO thing ? religious questions may as well be locked to great debates though, since there will always be someone with a NEW “my preacher said” on the topic… Seems they are saying that their religion requires them to wear a beard, but the mustache is not mentioned , so can be shaved off. The exclusivity (one is not part of the other) of beard and mustache makes some sense, as they must grow the beard really long, while thats impractical for mustaches… Or if the question is why bother to shave the mustache if they are going to look like cave men anyway ? Ah, the hairs hang down, and then they poke the lower lip, this leads to irritation even infection. Also the collection of snot in the mustache is frowned upon, but there’s no mirrors in rest rooms these days, and its not fashion for men to have makeup compacts… Also the mustache dips into the food/drink , same thing with mirrors… As for religions defining things a bit different to your common sense ? One near here was wanting to install an aerial wire around a block of buildings. There is already is, but as its purpose was to carry electricity, that was therefore ONLY an electricity wire. They wanted a purpose installed the aerial wire, for the purpose of defining the block to be “one” - basically to make it one fenced in area… the local council didn’t agree as it went against principles of “government is for everyone”… public land and infrastructure is for everyone … ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/12 "2015-05-03T13:25:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I heard from a Mennonite friend of the family that the real reason, which they don’t talk about much, is that the womenfolk don’t like kissing them as much with moustaches. I must wholeheartedly disagree with their womenfolk. ---
**Author:** ![Apollon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@Apollon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/13 "2015-05-03T13:32:41Z")
I like having a beard, but I can’t have a mustache. If I don’t shave my upper lip every two days, I will get eczema on the third day. Dandruff on the face looks repulsive, so I have to shave the mustache. But then I look like a Muslim, so I also have to shave the cheeks and soul patch. But then I have a neck beard, so everything under the jawline has to go, too. And that’s why I have a chin strap beard. 😛 Surely, there must be other men who shave their mustache for the same reasons, but feel that stopping there is good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/14 "2015-05-03T13:34:57Z")
From [http://amishreligiousfreedom.org/amishfaq.htm#beard](http://amishreligiousfreedom.org/amishfaq.htm#beard), we get > [@](#): > > Why do Amish men have beards, but not mustaches? > > There are quite a few scriptures that mention beards in the Bible. An example would be Psalm 133:1,2. An Amishman does not shave his beard after he becomes married. A long beard is the mark of an adult Amishman. Mustaches, on the other hand, have a long history of being associated with the military, and therefore are forbidden among the Amish people. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/15 "2015-05-03T14:20:09Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Practical answer from an irreligious, lazy shaver : if you let your beard grow forever, nothing bad happens. Beyond, y’know, sporting a bushy hobo beard. > If you let your moustache grow unchecked however, it starts getting inside your mouth/hanging in front of your mouth, which is annoying as hell. To say nothing of the added hazards when eating an ice cream cone. I value my mustache, however, especially as it has retained its dark color all these years, unlike a certain beard I could mention. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/16 "2015-05-03T14:27:03Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Abraham Lincoln anyone? > > I’m pretty sure he wasn’t influenced by Muslim clerics. But President Obama says that the US is a Muslim nation, so maybe he was influenced by them. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/17 "2015-05-03T14:35:09Z")
married or over 40 Amish have beards. no mustache because that was a style that military leaders had. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/18 "2015-05-03T14:37:45Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Practical answer from an irreligious, lazy shaver : if you let your beard grow forever, nothing bad happens. Beyond, y’know, sporting a bushy hobo beard. > If you let your moustache grow unchecked however, it starts getting inside your mouth/hanging in front of your mouth, which is annoying as hell. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > To say nothing of the added hazards when eating an ice cream cone. > > I value my mustache, however, especially as it has retained its dark color all these years, unlike a certain beard I could mention. it is also a soup strainer. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/19 "2015-05-03T14:55:20Z")
> [@Apollon](#): > > I like having a beard, but I can’t have a mustache. If I don’t shave my upper lip every two days, I will get eczema on the third day. Dandruff on the face looks repulsive, so I have to shave the mustache. Are you sure you don’t have seborrheic dermatitis? Go to a dermatologist and get a Rx for Ketoconazole cream. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146/20 "2015-05-03T15:57:04Z")
> [@Leviticus 19:27](#): > > Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. (Other translations interpret “Ye shall not round the corners of your heads” as not trimming at the forehead or temples.) The [commentary on this page](http://biblehub.com/leviticus/19-27.htm) suggests that it was frowned upon because it was a custom of idolators in those days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146.md?page=2)