Pat Dollard | Young Americans

Pictured: The Pul-i-Khisti Mosque, Kabul.

So Afghanistan’s equivalent of our “American Idol”, a show called “Afghan Star” is drawing, as you might have guessed, a lot of fire from those peace-loving Muslim clerics…

18-year-old Lima Sahar has placed herself in the middle of Afghanistan’s continous gender and music struggle. She could become the winner of the tv show ‘Afghan Star’ – the war-torn country’s answer to ‘American Idol’ which is drawing millions of viewers despite being condemned as ‘un-Islamic’ by Kabul’s Islamic council of clerics.

The piglet that runs the biggest mosque in Kabul, with a membership of over 50,000 worshippers has decided that whoever listens to music, not just the music in this “Afghan Star” show, but any music, is guilty of adultery, and no longer a muslim.

Some exerpts from an article in Freemuse:

Since ‘Afghan Star’ premiered on the private tv-channel Tolo TV, it has quickly grown into one of the most popular shows in the country. For the same reason it is also becoming one of the most controversial tv shows which conservative Islamic clerics speak against during Friday prayers.

Sayed-ur-Rahman Niazi, the cleric at Kabul’s central mosque which attracts 50,000 worshipers during weekly Friday prayers, was quoted by Chicago Tribune as having said this very strong anti-music statement:

“It’s completely rejected by Islam. Someone who goes to listen to music is guilty of adultery. It’s the same thing. And someone who enjoys it should be kicked out of Islam. He’s no longer a Muslim.”

Ali Ahmad Jebra-ali, a member of the Kabul’s Islamic council of clerics, said:

“In the situation that we have in Afghanistan right now, we don’t need a woman singer. We don’t need ‘Afghan Star.’ We are in need of a good economy, good education.”

Haji Baran Khan, a farmer from Kandahar said a Pashtun girl singing on tv goes against the country’s culture:
“She is also affecting the minds of other good girls. She should stop singing.”

(Freemuse)