Short haircuts and clean shaven faces draw less suspicion and look less foreign than being bearded and wearing Muslim garb. The captured men wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible and Moscow is diverse enough that a non-Slavic looking man would not draw much attention unless they looked like the bearded and robed stereotype of a terrorist.
The koran allows for this, drinking, smoking, cutting beards….. if it is for the good of islam.
Much like communism, if it advances communism it is allowed if it doesn’t it is punished
But all you fools it was the CIA/s