Islamic men are required by law to wear a beard, but the Interior Ministry suspended several police officers who began to wear beards after the 2011 revolution.
"We want Egypt to be based on the values of the revolution: to not ban people based on gender or religion," said police officer and beard ban protester Hany Al-Shakery.
But secularists say they would not trust a bearded police officer.
Blogger rights activist Wael Abhas said he would "never feel comfortable" being questioned by bearded police.
