[nwctwx]

Would there be any circumstances under which he would shave his beard if that were to be the case (a visual signal/cue for martyrdom)?

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http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010929/ai_n14414432

The last prayer concluded: "There is no God but God, I being a sinner. We are of God, and to God we return." The document recovered from the crash site in Pennsylvania bore many similarities, with some additional details. It exhorted the hijackers to shave their body hair the night before.

"Purify your head," it said. "Cleanse it from dross ... Be cheerful, for you have only moments between you and your eternity, after which a happy and satisfying life begins."

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I wonder if we'd even recognize a beardless Usama.

[CJ Wolf]

"I wonder if we'd even recognize a beardless Usama." He might look like this

or possibly this

[Velveeta]

Update: It’s 10:15 and Fox says the video is due within hours.
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/06/site-institute-new-bin-laden-video-coming-on-911/

[JustPiper]

I ‘heard’ that the beard is also grown so he could blend in easier in a more urban environment, in Pakistan & out of the caves

Which I always go back to TM’s inception, of him dying in the belly of the beast, so maybe he is in NYC