Somali fundies ban music from radio

[wautd]

Or how to alienate yourself even further from the sane world

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- Rock, rap and love songs once filled the airwaves in Somalia's war-torn capital, one of the few pleasures residents had. But Islamist militants ordered music off the air Tuesday, labeling it un-Islamic in a hardline edict reminiscent of the Taliban.

Stations immediately complied, fearful that disc jockeys would face the harsh punishment militants mete out here: amputations and stonings. The edict is the latest unpopular order from the Islamists, who also have banned bras, musical ringtones and movies.

More than a dozen radio stations complied with the order by the militant group Hizbul Islam, the National Union of Somali Journalists said.

''Journalists working in these stations have in the past witnessed broad daylight assassination of their colleagues and have now been signaled that they would follow the same fate if they do not obey these oppressive orders,'' said the union's secretary-general, Omar Faruk Osman.

Somalia has a tradition of music and most residents greeted the ban with dismay. Rock, rap and love songs from the U.S., Europe and Africa could be heard on Somali stations before the ban.

''Now I think we are going to be forced to hear only the horrific sounds of the gunfire and the explosions,'' said Khadiya Omar, a 22-year-old Mogadishu resident who called music a ''tranquilizer'' to help him forget life's troubles.

Somalis in the country's capital can still listen to music on two stations: one that the government controls and another that is funded by the United Nations. Both stations are based in the small area of Mogadishu under the control of government and African Union forces. Similar edicts have been imposed on stations in the southern Somali regions held by the Islamist group al-Shabab.

Somalia has not had an effective government for 19 years. Thousands of civilians have died in violence-wracked Mogadishu in a conflict that has intensified the last three years and the U.N. estimates some 100,000 people have been displaced in the capital this year alone.

Islamic insurgents control much of Mogadishu and have been trying to topple the country's fragile, U.N.-backed government.

The music ban went into effect one day after fighting between the Somali government and Islamist insurgents killed 21 people in Mogadishu.

''We are in a war-ravaged country and music is what brings us relief from anger, frustration, depression, fatigue and other emotional and physical pain,'' said Isaq Ali, a Mogadishu resident.

The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, said Tuesday he was worried about the plight of civilians in the capital, the principal victims of the fighting. In March, more than 30 civilians were killed and 900 wounded in fighting, Bowden said. More than 100 of the injuries were children under age 5.

The deputy chairman of the Somali Foreign Correspondents Association, Mohamed Ibrahim Nur, condemned the music ban and called for Hizbul Islam to retract the order.

''This will paralyze the already violence-affected media in Somalia and will deprive Somalis from getting independent information free from threat, censorship and imposition of radical addicts,'' he said.

Any station that defies the order could face severe punishments. The Islamists frequently assassinate those who defy them or carry out punishments like amputations. Abdulahi Yasin Jama at Tusmo broadcasting said that stations have no choice but to comply.

''We had no other option but to stop playing music. Now that we have dropped music we may lose listeners. If we ignore the warning we have to face the wrath of the militants,'' said one of Mogadishu's radio directors, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal attacks.

The director noted that the station also would have to re-record all of its commercials that contain music.

The order to stop the music echoes the Taliban's strict social rules imposed on Afghans beginning in the late 1990s. The Taliban banned music and movies and didn't allow women to leave their homes without an escort by a male family member.

The ban on music means that even talk-radio stations will have to make changes. Jama, from the independent broadcaster, said his station would have to stop using music as a bridge between programs.

''We are using other sounds, such as gunfire, the noise of vehicles and birds to link up our programs and news,'' he said.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry at this kind of stupidity

[Stofsk]

I don't know why you'd laugh. This isn't funny. It's fucking stupid, but not the kind of stupid you can laugh at. Well, not that I could laugh at, I should say.

[CJvR]

It is sort of funny.
Until you remember that there are plenty of maniacs quite willing to murder anyone who dares to disobey, as demonstrated by the fearful and immediate capitulation.

[wautd]

I don't know why you'd laugh.

The positive thing is that I can only see it as being counterproductive for their cause. It pisses a lot people off who before that might have felt some sympathy for these lunatics.

[Mayabird]

It doesn't matter if they have sympathy or not if the maniacs are the warlords who have the guns and power and nobody else does or can get any (Somalia's 'economy' is based entirely on piracy). They can force whatever they want on everybody else because they will kill people otherwise, and there are always plenty of bullies and thugs who'll join so they can shoot anybody they want for whistling or shaving or because they want the other person's stuff.

That's anarchy for you. People are monsters and don't give a shit about it.

[Dave]

The edict is the latest unpopular order from the Islamists, who also have banned bras, musical ringtones and movies.

Wait, why would you ban bras? Aren't these a necessary undergarment for women?

If the women display an un-natural firmness, the inspectors feel their breasts to determine if the uplift is produced with the assistance of a bra. Often younger women must reveal their mammary glands to prove that they have not been corrupted by Western culture.

The Daily Mail (London) reports that women have been publicly whipped for wearing hidden undergarments, with Islamists claiming that it is a "deceptive" act before Allah to wear supportive devices.

Perhaps this is the reasoning?

[Spekio]

The Handmaid's tale IS NOT A GUIDE, PEOPLE!

That is sad...but I get the fundies reasoning. If peoples life's suck, they will find relief in god...

[Darth Wong]

Why is this even surprising? The article even mentions that it's reminiscent of the Taliban. If you let Islamic hard-liners run amok, this is what you get.

[Spekio]

Why is this even surprising? The article even mentions that it's reminiscent of the Taliban. If you let RELIGIOUS hard-liners run amok, this is what you get.

Fix'd that for you.

[Molyneux]

Horrible, in every way.
So what are people doing about it?

[Stofsk]

Horrible, in every way.
So what are people doing about it?

I've got my own problems. Why don't you volunteer to go over there and tell them to behave? Take a six-shooter with you, or a big stick, you might need it.

[Broomstick]

The edict is the latest unpopular order from the Islamists, who also have banned bras, musical ringtones and movies.

Wait, why would you ban bras? Aren't these a necessary undergarment for women?

Of course not - they're not necessary. A woman's tits don't fall off her body if she doesn't wear a bra. They are, in fact, relatively recent inventions (and could stand for a lot of improving, if you ask me)

If the women display an un-natural firmness, the inspectors feel their breasts to determine if the uplift is produced with the assistance of a bra. Often younger women must reveal their mammary glands to prove that they have not been corrupted by Western culture.

The Daily Mail (London) reports that women have been publicly whipped for wearing hidden undergarments, with Islamists claiming that it is a "deceptive" act before Allah to wear supportive devices.

Perhaps this is the reasoning?

Yep. You don't want long-titted women with bodies distorted/wrecked by too early and too frequent childbearing without proper medical care to pose as unspoiled young ladies. Or the older, long-titted women to do anything to appear younger. That would inconvenience the men or something.

[LaCroix]

If the women display an un-natural firmness, the inspectors feel their breasts to determine if the uplift is produced with the assistance of a bra. Often younger women must reveal their mammary glands to prove that they have not been corrupted by Western culture.

The Daily Mail (London) reports that women have been publicly whipped for wearing hidden undergarments, with Islamists claiming that it is a "deceptive" act before Allah to wear supportive devices.

Isn't it quite un-islamic to see the exposed breast of a young girl? I thougth that is the whole thing behind burkas and stuff?
Or how about feel her up if she is not your spouse? That's forbidden, too, if I remember correctly.

It is a law made to have an excuse to fondle young girls in public at whim - citing it is for religous reasons is the most hypocritical thing ever.

[Hillary]

The Daily Mail (London) reports

Not exactly the most reliable media source - especially for this type of story. The Daily Mail will print any old shit that casts Muslims in an extremist light.

[Molyneux]

Horrible, in every way.
So what are people doing about it?

I've got my own problems. Why don't you volunteer to go over there and tell them to behave? Take a six-shooter with you, or a big stick, you might need it.

Oh, hell no.
I was thinking more along the lines of - what can be done? Is this something that the UN could conceivably help with?

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

Horrible, in every way.
So what are people doing about it?

I've got my own problems. Why don't you volunteer to go over there and tell them to behave? Take a six-shooter with you, or a big stick, you might need it.

Oh, hell no.
I was thinking more along the lines of - what can be done? Is this something that the UN could conceivably help with?

What can the UN do? Issue condemnations? Sanctions? The Islamist warlords who rule much of the country wouldn't care about the former, and Somalia doesn't really have enough of an economy to harm with the latter. Send in the peacekeepers? What effect does Islamist warlords banning music and bras have on Somalia's relations with its neighbors?

Basically the only thing that can really be done is to go over there and tell them to behave. Preferably while holding them at gunpoint. Except we all know how well such missions typically turn out.

[Broomstick]

Horrible, in every way.
So what are people doing about it?

I've got my own problems. Why don't you volunteer to go over there and tell them to behave? Take a six-shooter with you, or a big stick, you might need it.

Oh, hell no.
I was thinking more along the lines of - what can be done? Is this something that the UN could conceivably help with?

Apparently not - no one gave a fuck when this sort of shit happened in Afghanistan under the Taliban. There, it started up in the 1980's and didn't stop until post-9/11 bombing of Afghanistan. So, as long as the Somalis don't engage in terrorist attacks against first world landmarks, no, the UN and the rest of the world isn't going to do jackshit about it.

[Spekio]

Dawkins said in "The God Delusion" that the Aparteid would have been widely accepted if only the south-africans said it was due to religious beliefs.
So don't expect anything to happen.

[Oni Koneko Damien]

The Daily Mail (London) reports

Not exactly the most reliable media source - especially for this type of story. The Daily Mail will print any old shit that casts Muslims in an extremist light.

Except in this case Somalia already has an established track record of doing really insane shit in the name of religion, like the aformentioned bra-banning.

[LadyTevar]

The edict is the latest unpopular order from the Islamists, who also have banned bras, musical ringtones and movies.

Wait, why would you ban bras? Aren't these a necessary undergarment for women?

Of course not - they're not necessary. A woman's tits don't fall off her body if she doesn't wear a bra. They are, in fact, relatively recent inventions (and could stand for a lot of improving, if you ask me)

Actually, while what we know of as Bras are recent torture-devices, breast supports have a history going back before the Pyramids. The bare-breasted women in Egyptian tomb paintings? The linen wrap they're wearing 'lifts and supports'. Same with the bare-breasted women of Minos. "Breast Binding", long thought to be women trying to flatten their breasts, was again just another support measure. Saris and sarongs and other tropical dresses? They had special ways to twist and tie the breast bands to either 'lift and separate' or 'lift and fluff'.

So these Somalian priests really being anal. Support Bras will be around as long as there are boobs.

[Dave]

Of course not - they're not necessary. A woman's tits don't fall off her body if she doesn't wear a bra. They are, in fact, relatively recent inventions (and could stand for a lot of improving, if you ask me)

Sorry, I didn't mean it in that way. I meant that they're really useful for those women whose breasts are benefited by external support, which is a reasonable percentage of the world population.

[Broomstick]

Yes, pretty much any woman with tits larger than an A cup benefits from breast support. That's the vast majority of us.

[Simon_Jester]

Anywhere else in the world, I'd suggest floating radio transmitters off the coast, but here the pirate radio stations would get attacked by the real pirates. So... no good, then. Darn.

[Shroom Man 777]

You can always broadcast radiowaves from the neighboring countries, or do it with some aircraft that regularly patrols the area, like what the USA did with Cuba. But that'd just make the Somalitaliban ban all forms of radios or something.

You know, as if Somalia couldn't get worse as the butt of all jokes and as goddamn libertopia realized, it turns into fucking Talibaniland. Goddamn. Why the fuck did those unpatriotic anti-American democrat hippie liberal Ethiopian pussies have to cut and run instead of staying the course and SURGING into Somalia for freedom, truth, and Ethiopia Pie?

[Einhander Sn0m4n]

Yep. You don't want long-titted women with bodies distorted/wrecked by too early and too frequent childbearing without proper medical care to pose as unspoiled young ladies. Or the older, long-titted women to do anything to appear younger. That would inconvenience the men or something.

They're probably thinking the no-bra rule will help them pick out any actual adults with brains and Western ideas about 'rights' polluting the pool of child brides to rape. Fucking sickos.

Anyone else notice pedophilia and child rape have a positive correlation with hardcore religion, too?