MUSLIM HATE OF MUSIC
Somali stations air animal noises to protest extremists' music ban
By the CNN Wire Staff
April 13, 2010
(CNN) -- Roars, growls and galloping hooves replaced music Tuesday on some of Mogadishu's radio stations in a protest of a ban on music imposed by Islamic extremists.
Radio Shabelle, along with the stations Tusmo and Hornafrik, were responding to threats from Muslim militant groups that believe music is un-Islamic and want it prohibited.
Mogadishu's 14 private radio stations stopped playing music Tuesday after Hizbul al-Islam, an Islamic extremist group, issued a 10-day ultimatum. The threat was backed by the main militant group al-Shabaab, which has been linked to al Qaeda.
A statement from the National Union of Somali Journalists said several stations received calls, warning them that there would be consequences if they failed to comply with the ban within 10 days.
But the three stations decided to broadcast the noises instead of music. Radio Shabelle announcers could be heard speaking on air, backed by the sounds of hooves, ocean waves, gunfire -- even the roars and growls of big cats.
A radio station director, who could not be identified because of safety concerns, said the stations were unhappy about the ban but were forced to comply "because of fear for our lives."
A Somali journalist, who also asked not to be identified, said there is widespread fear that this marks the beginning of a wider plot by extremists to silence independent media. He fears that female journalists may become the next target.
Hizbul al-Islam is one of many rebel groups operating in the country. The group has a complicated relationship with al-Shabaab; between them, the two groups control much of Mogadishu, and several radio stations are in neighborhoods under their control.
Somalia has not had a stable government since 1991. Islamic militant groups are fighting the government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or Sharia.
CAT STEVENS - DEATH OF A MUSICIAN
Exploring Cat Stevens'
wild Muslim world
By Bill DeYoung
The Patriot Ledger
May 22nd, 2000
Courtesy of Kirby
Curiosity killed Cat Stevens
A singer, songwriter and guitarist whose simple melodies were artfully aligned
with lyrics both whimsical and mysterious, he'd clawed out a niche for himself
in the early 1970s with a string of hits including "Wild World," "Moonshadow"
and "Peace Train." He had eight gold albums in a row.
The British-born son of a Greek Cypriot father and Swedish mother, Stevens'
dark, exotic good looks made him stand out, and women everywhere found him
irresistible.
Still, it wasn't enough. Admired and coddled, but troubled inside, Stevens began
investigating the Koran, the Islamic holy book, and within its pages he found
the answers he felt he'd been looking for. In 1977, he pronounced himself a
Muslim, took on the name Yusuf Islam ("Joseph Rescued" [sic]) and eventually
entered into an arranged marriage. He auctioned off his guitars, pianos and
awards and bid good riddance to the secular world.
"I was always extremely committed to whatever I did," Islam said. "And sometimes
I had to close my mind to everything else in order to achieve my goal. I did
that when I was a songwriter. I almost didn't listen to anybody else's music,
because I thought it might influence me, and I'd end up copying them.
"And I did it when I entered my spiritual discovery of Islam. It made me think
only about just that, and I didn't want to think about anything else."
Reminiscing on the telephone from his London office, Islam, now 52, said those
last years as Cat Stevens were marked by half-finished spiritual quests and
indecision. The Koran -- a gift from his brother David -- was the answer. "I'd
had many dreams of walking away," he said. "But only when I had enough knowledge
of where I wanted to go could I do it."
Steven Demetri Georgiou was born in London's West End, where his musical
interests included Russian choral music, traditional Greek folk songs, musical
theater, the blues and rock 'n' roll. "All that formed the tapestry of my
background," he said. "But one of the songs that really stuck out for me was 'Up
on the Roof.' That just brought to life what I used to do. We used to climb
those roofs in that part of London. And out came this song, I couldn't believe
it was a direct reflection of my life. And my interests.
"One of my all-time favorite figures was Ledbelly; he had such a story to tell.
And his words were real. They smacked of reality. That, I liked.
"When Dylan came along and started poetically putting in the ideas of freedom
and a new lifestyle, it was just an inspiration. It all came together at once."
He was 19 when a record producer signed him up, changed his name and made him a
pop star with "Matthew and Son" and "The First Cut is the Deepest," heavily
orchestrated takes on songs he had written. He opened for Engelbert Humperdinck
and Jimi Hendrix, before a bout with tuberculosis put him in the hospital for a
year, his career all but over.
In 1970, Stevens re-emerged with "Mona Bone Jakon," an all-acoustic,
introspective set of songs that sounded nothing like his teen hits. "I'd just
come out of a very dark phase, and that of course gave me a great understanding
that I was not immortal," he said, "that life meant hard knocks as well.
"I was coming out of that with some kind of sense of my destiny, but not really
knowing exactly which direction it was going to take. But I had a great
optimism, I think."
With the smash albums "Tea For The Tillerman"
and "Teaser and the Firecat," Cat Stevens' new style of what he called "gentle
folksinging" crossed the Atlantic; he was the dark-eyed, hypnotic European
equivalent of James Taylor, who came to prominence at the same time.
Cat Stevens' songs frequently referred to God and a hunger for spiritual
balance. "It was just under the surface," he said. "The nature behind the artist
is not really changeable. There are those perceptions, those insights which are
privately known and sometimes come out poetically, and in colors, music and
sound, and in emotions.
"They're difficult to interpret when you're experiencing them, but from this
perspective now, they're easier to see, and more clear." He points to the songs
"Miles From Nowhere," "On the Road to Find Out" and "Sitting" as examples.
He tried Buddhism, Taoism and even numerology, changing his religious
convictions as quickly as he took on and discarded musical styles. "I was always
looking for something different," he said. "And like many people, I used to get
bored quickly. And if I got a little bit tired with myself, or with my clothes,
or with the songs, I'd try something different."
He moved to Brazil in the mid-'70s, to escape Britain's crippling tax laws, and
his love of the polyrhythms of South America gave his music a harder, more
syncopated edge. "I was balancing between many different demands," he explains.
"One was my artistic expectation of myself, and from that point of view I was
always trying to go past new boundaries."
His audience, however, did not follow, and by the time of the last Cat Stevens
album, 1978's "Back To Earth," his sales had fallen sharply.
His earlier material remains in demand; this week, MCA Records will issue
re-mastered CDs of "Mona," "Tea" and "Teaser," with the rest of the Cat Stevens
catalog to follow later in the year. Islam is helping to assemble a box set for
release this fall.
The father of five children, Islam is the chairman of the Islamic Schools Trust,
which he set up in 1983. He runs the Islamia primary and secondary schools for
boys and girls in London, and recently issued a children's CD, "A Is For Allah,"
which blends a spoken-word explanation of the Islamic alphabet with a capella
singing (Western musical instruments are frowned upon in Islam).
Islam was internationally vilified when he appeared to support Iran's 1989
fatwa, or sentence of death, on author Salmon Rushdie, whose book "Satanic
Verses" Muslim leaders consider blasphemous.
He won't discuss the matter any more; however, in a statement issued at the
time, Islam said he'd been misquoted. While he supports the Muslim idea of
supreme punishment for blasphemy, he said, he didn't think it was right to
hunt someone down and kill them.
"I've always been fairly misunderstood," he said. "And life's been a struggle to
explain myself."
Only in the last year or so has he felt comfortable discussing Cat Stevens
again. "I see the value more these days in the kind of heritage which I've left
in the music and lyrics," he said.
"I can separate in my own mind that which is good and that which is bad, and not
only that, but so many people still gain value from those songs. I'm always
receiving letters from fans and people who my music has touched. Recently, there
was a letter from someone who said literally they were on the verge of suicide,
and then they listened to one of my songs and it changed them. And that's really
positive."
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has banned Western music from Iran's radio and TV stations, reviving one of the harshest cultural decrees from the early days of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Songs such as George Michael's "Careless Whisper," Eric Clapton's "Rush" and the Eagles' "Hotel California" have regularly accompanied Iranian broadcasts, as do tunes by saxophonist Kenny G.
But the official IRAN Persian daily reported Monday that Ahmadinejad, as head of Iran's Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council, ordered the enactment of an October ruling by the council to ban Western music.
"Blocking indecent and Western music from the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting is required," according to a statement on the council's official Web site.
Ahmadinejad's order means broadcasters must execute the decree and prepare a report on its implementation within six months, according to the newspaper.
"This is terrible," said Iranian guitarist Babak Riahipour, whose music was played occasionally on state radio and TV. "The decision shows a lack of knowledge and experience."
Music was outlawed as un-Islamic by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini soon after the revolution. But as the fervor of the revolution started to fade, light classical music was allowed on radio and television. Some public concerts reappeared in the late 1980s.
Western music, films and clothing are widely available in Iran, and hip-hop can be heard on Tehran's streets, blaring from car speakers or from music shops. Bootleg videos and DVDs of films banned by the state are widely available on the black market.
After eight years of reformist-led rule in Iran, Ahmadinejad won office in August on a platform of reverting to ultraconservative principles promoted by the revolution.
Since then, Ahmadinejad has jettisoned Iran's moderation in foreign policy and pursued a purge in the government, replacing pragmatic veterans with former military commanders and inexperienced religious hard-liners.
He also has issued stinging criticisms of Israel, called for the Jewish state to be "wiped off the map" and described the Nazi Holocaust as a "myth." (Full story)
International concerns are high over Iran's nuclear program, with the United States accusing Tehran of pursuing an atomic weapons program. Iran denies the claims.
During his presidential campaign, Ahmadinejad also promised to confront what he called the Western cultural invasion and promote Islamic values.
The latest media ban also includes censorship of content of films.
"Supervision of content from films, TV series and their voice-overs is emphasized in order to support spiritual cinema and to eliminate triteness and violence," the council said in a statement on its Web site explaining its October ruling.
The council has also issued a ban on foreign movies that promote "arrogant powers," an apparent reference to the United States.
The Associated Press.
Minstrels are not part of our true Muslim culture
January 5, 2006
In response to Gadija Sity-Taliep's letter "Disgusting sights ruin our new year
tradition" (Cape Points, December 29) about the real truth behind the carnival:
The coons are really a front for drug dealers and caters for the cartels. It has
become a breeding ground for drug deals. It is not an "important part of Islamic
culture".
In response to "Closet minstrel" by Zane Ibrahim (Cape Argus December 30): Mr
Ibrahim claims to be a Muslim and states that nowhere in Islam does it prohibit
joy!
On that point he is correct - Islam does not prohibit joy, but the expression of
joy can take many forms. Islam's version of joy is, for example, a child
mastering the recital of our Glorious Qur'an or a child getting married or
whatever action will please Allah (God).
All our expressions of joy start and end with the recital of a Duah
(pleading with God to bless the undertaking) - not painting our faces and
behaving like lunatics.
Please allow me to explain the simple tenets of Islam. Islam is built on five
principles: to believe in One God and our prophet Mogamat (peace be upon him)
and the Quran; to pray five times a day; to give to charity; to fast for 30 days
in the month of Ramadaan; to visit Mecca for pilgrimage.
The first four are compulsory and the fifth one becomes obligatory if you have
the means (financially).
A Muslim's life should be based on the Qur'an and the teachings of our beloved
prophet Mogamat. Nowhere have I heard or seen proof that our beloved prophet
painted his face and danced in the street because of joy.
Anything that detracts from being a good Muslim is frowned upon by all the
scholars of Islam.
Just one thing, Mr Ibrahim: - where do the coons (the Muslim ones) get the the
time to perform Salaah (prayers)? There is no way that a Muslim who is part of
the coons and runs up and down the streets with a painted face can perform his
prayers on time.
I challenge anyone from the coon board to state publicly that all their Muslim
members stop their performances and go to pray during the prayer hours.
You shall forever be the receivers of charities instead of being the providers
if you continue to act like lunatics!
Concerned Muslim
Cape Town
Spanish group loses award after Muslim outcry over song
Wednesday 8 March 2006
Judeoscope.ca - Yussef Qaradhawi’s Islam Online reports that a song allegedly insulting Muslims won the first prize of an annual festival held in the independent Spanish enclave Sebta in Morocco.
Local Muslims and political parties have succesfully called for the withdrawal of the prize.
"The Democratic Party in Sebta [which groups many Spanish Muslims of Moroccan origin] is planning a legal action against the festival’s organizers for the racism displayed in the song’s lyrics," party head Mohamad Ali told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, March 8.
The lyrics, says Islam Online, describes Muslims as "animals" and "bastards."
However, speaking to the Spanish daily El Plural, the song’s authors, Los Polluelos con pelos en los güevos, deny it is racist and blasted the lack of understanding on the part of Muslims. "We did not intended to insult collectively Muslims, but a part whose attitude we do not share" said Jorge Pérez, author of the lyrics and added "We call animals all those who kill in the name of religion and if a Christian killed in the name of Christ, we would consider him to be an animal as well".
MUSLIM EXTREMISTS BREAK UP CONCERT
5 June 2006
Ten young men donning long beards, short pants and white hats broke up a concert of the Balkanika orchestra.
NOVI PAZAR
The hooligans were dressed like members of
the vehabit movement. They climbed up onto the stage and threw around the
instruments that were set up for the musicians to play. One of the young men
toko the microphone and told those attending the concert: “Brothers, go home,
they are working against Islam here. This is Satan’s work.”
He then threw the microphone, which was damaged, as were the speakers, mixing
board and some of the lighting.
Four police officers were present at the concert in Novi Pazar and used force to
get the youths off of the stage and stop them from coming back. The concert was
organised by the Novi Pazar municipality and the Serbia Culture and Sport
Ministry.
About a half hour later, a group of about 50 Novi Pazar football supporters,
upset over the team’s loss to Mladosti from Apatin, started throwing stones at
the stage where the concert was supposed to be held. Earlier, the game was
stopped for an hour after the Novi Pazar fans hit referee Nikola Maljković in
the head with a rock.
The police have yet to comment on the two incidents, though further public
concerts in the region will probably all be cancelled.
The vehabit is a radical Islamic group founded in Saudi Arabia. It is hard to
give an estimate on how many supporters the group has in the Sandžak area, but
what is sure is that the numbers have increased greatly in recent years.