Somalia’s islamic Hitzbul Islam has banned music (even jingles or adverts using music) on the radio. They’ve also seized BBC relay transmitters (hence first linking to the Grauniad article first, as the BBC article has obvious bias) and I wonder if in part this is a political step against outsiders broadcasting into the country?
I do have a question – is Islam really against music? I know it’s probably in part to what degree of orthodoxy and which sect you follow (Sunni/Shia etc) but I know music has been banned by ultra-orthodox Islamic regimes before and it’s been incredibly unpopular, especially amongst local tribes and those who don’t follow Islam. Also I thought at various times music and dancing were allowed, and great flowering of those arts, in such places as Andalusia? Hence the acoustic guitar being developed – a Moorish introduction to Europe and ‘guitar’ is in fact an arabic loanword?
I also love how any religion can deem itself to enforce it’s beliefs on those who don’t follow it – like the recent story of the Williamsburg hassidim vs hipsters over a cycle path! (My thoughts there is if a bike is traif (unclean) then how can the Satmars drive in mini-vans? Eh?) Surely any religious mumbo jumbo should only affect those who believe in it?
And you don’t need protective laws or sharias against the rest of the world and need to live in a bubble if you really have faith?
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