It might seem tame fare, but Bollywood movies, Western pop videos and even Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments have got Afghanistan's fledgling cable TV stations in hot water.
This week, an appeal from the country's top Islamic judge prompted the Cabinet to order the networks temporarily off the air -- just three years since a Taliban ban on television was lifted.
PHOTO: AP
"The consequences are disastrous for Afghanistan," Saad Mohseni, director of Tolo TV, said Thursday. He forecast more restrictions would follow.
The spat is the latest in the battle for control of Afghan society between still-influential religious conservatives, and liberals and entrepreneurs enjoying new Afghan media freedoms.
Supreme Court chief justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari, an arch conservative, picked the moment of maximum impact to strike.
"It was during Ramadan prayers in the mosque at the presidential palace. The ambassadors from several Islamic countries were also there," said Mohammed Yusuf Etebar, President-elect Hamid Karzai's top civil servant said.
"The Supreme Court chief told Mr. Karzai about the wicked films, that these cable channels are against Afghan culture and against Afghan values."
US-backed Karzai's Cabinet decided to shut down all cable TV until new regulations are drawn up on what they can show.
It was a victory for Shinwari who was on the losing side in January, when the government ignored his protests over the return of veiled female singers to state television screens. The ban had originated with Islamic fundamentalists who ruled in the early 1990s and was lifted only when the repressive Taliban regime fell.
But following Karzai's victory in Afghanistan's landmark Oct. 9 election, the liberals have lost their champion. Culture Minister Makhdom Raheen fought for the TV stations in January, but critics now accuse him of switching sides to ensure his post as Karzai ponders how to build a government that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society.
Mohammed Hashem Pakzad, the owner of Ariana, one of about 20 cable operators in Kabul, said he read about the new ban in the newspaper and stopped transmitting for fear police "in a bad mood" might come and smash up his office.
"I'm a Muslim, and I wouldn't show any sexy films," he said. "This is just a conspiracy against the cable operators. These people just want to keep Afghan people in the dark."
Wahid Mujdah, a Supreme Court spokesman, made plain the conservatives' main target are the Indian films hugely popular with young Afghans for their raunchy dance routines.
"Immoral" movies were even blamed for the recent fatal stabbing of a student at Kabul University which has led to street protests in capital.
"The boys are disturbing the girls in these films. Then there are gangs fighting each other. All these things are against Afghan culture," Mujdah said.
A screening last week of the The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston provided more ammunition.
"It showed the prophet Moses with short trousers and among the girls," Mujhad said. "He's a very holy person and Islam respects him. This is wrong."
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
Tropical Storm Koto killed three people and left another missing as it approached Vietnam, authorities said yesterday, as strong winds and high seas buffeted vessels off the country’s flood-hit central coast. Heavy rains have lashed Vietnam’s middle belt in recent weeks, flooding historic sites and popular holiday destinations, and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. Authorities ordered boats to shore and diverted dozens of flights as Koto whipped up huge waves and dangerous winds, state media reported. Two vessels sank in the rough seas, a fishing boat in Khanh Hoa province and a smaller raft in Lam Dong, according to the
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
The Philippines deferred the awarding of a project that is part of a plan to build one of the world’s longest marine bridges after local opposition over the potential involvement of a Chinese company due to national security fears. The proposals are “undergoing thorough review” by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which acts as a lender and an overseer of the project to ensure it meets international environmental and governance standards, the Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways said in a statement on Monday in response to queries from Bloomberg. The agency said it would announce the winning bidder once ADB
RSS