Kurdish barber in the UK defends naming barbershop after YPG

A Kurdish man from the United Kingdom has faced mixed reactions on social media for naming his barbershop after the Kurdish YPG forces.

LINCOLN, United Kingdom (Kurdistan24) – A Kurdish man from the United Kingdom has faced mixed reactions on social media for naming his barbershop after the Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State (IS) in Syria.

Business owner Haji Salih decided to rebrand his barbershop, changing the name from “Barber King” to “Y.P.G. Barbers” after the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Some social media users pointed to the “tense relations” between Kurds and Turks regarding the Kurdish forces.

One Twitter user even described the decision as “bad business.”

The YPG gained international recognition during the ongoing Syrian Civil War and the emergence of IS in Syria.

The Kurdish forces are backed by the United States who considers them a valuable ally in the defeat of the extremist group in the country.

Despite the diverse reactions online, Salih said the local community in Britain was not against his rebranding.

“I’ve not heard anyone say they don’t like it, but I’m sure some Turkish people won’t like it, and that is up to them,” he stated.

“They opened the Turk restaurant, and I’m free to do this as well,” he added. “But, the point is British people like it.”

Originally from the Kurdistan Region, Salih was drafted into former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s army at the age of 18 in 1984.

He escaped soon after, remaining in the Region before leaving for the UK in 2001 fearing for his life because of his mixed religious background.

“I’m half-Jewish, half-Muslim, so I was looking for freedom and looking to save myself, that’s why I came to the UK,” Salih explained.

“The democratic system of cultures is much better for me here,” he continued.

When he arrived in Britain, the Kurdish man settled in Lincoln where he enrolled at the local college to study hairdressing before opening his business.

 

Editing by G. H. Renaud

The Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)
The Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)
The Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)
The Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)
Haji Salih, owner of the Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)
Haji Salih, owner of the Y.P.G. Barbershop in Lincoln, United Kingdom. (Photo: Lincolnshire Live)