Barbers use dirty razors

Thursday, 20 December 2007
By: Adel Al-Malki

Mina- Some pilgrims have complained that certain barbershops here use dirty razors.

The pilgrims said that the zoning of barbershops in one location has resulted to over crowding, which leaves many pilgrims with no choice but go to less crowded ones albeit with unhygienic practice.

Kamal Nour, a pilgrim from Egypt, said that people sometimes wait in line up to three hours just to get shaved.

"Many of the customers end up fighting each other for the services. There are three million pilgrims stoning the pillars; obviously, more barbershops are needed" he said.

Nour added that some customers look for less crowded barbershops even when these use dirty or the same razor on all the customers.

He said increasing the number of barbershops in different locations will put barbers with unhygienic practice out of business.

Some barbers not only use dirty shaving materials but they also shave pilgrims the wrong way resulting to nicks' heads.

Most of the barbers came from out of town and charge the pilgrims higher rates.

"I made SR 3,000 last year in just three days and I am confident I'll make more this year what with the high price of shaving tools nowadays" Said Ali Bramawi, 16. "This is better than begging".

He said that many of his customers do not bother to check if the tools he use are clean or have been used on others. He said that as a personal rule, he uses the same tool for customers who are from the same family. He cleans his shaving brush in a cup full of flaming liquids.

The expected gross of regular barber shops in Mina this Haj is SR 30 million.