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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Monday, December 17, 2012

Islamists to ban "romantic" songs in Egypt



‘Romantic’ song ban in Egypt
  • The Egyptian Islamists are on the march.
  • Egyptian Socialist state owned media controls what people are allowed to see, hear or read.


The broadcasting of any “romantic” songs or music videos on Egyptian state television channels has been banned, a state-run newspaper announced on Thursday, adding that only “patriotic” tunes will be allowed to be aired.

Nationalistic tunes “that are worth broadcasting” will be allowed on the country’s 23 state-owned channels, the al-Ahram news website reported.

Meanwhile, sarcastic songs mocking public figures will be also banned because of the “sensitiveness of the political situation,” it said.
Frightened by Sex
Islamists need to get laid
by something other than a goat.

Egyptian colunmist Mina Naguib:

"This is not the first time for the Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) to come up with such pointless, ambiguous and trivial decisions aiming to distract the public from an ongoing political struggle.

In May 2011 amidst the struggle against the Superior Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), a similar piece of news regarding orders from Sami El-Sherif –Head of the ERTU- to ban all scenes with kisses or hugs from old and new movies on 6 of the governmental channels, which of course became one of the main topics of discussion on all talk shows leaving behind less time for discussing important issues such as military trials, torture cases and the lack of security on the streets due to the police's absence."

"This time, the ERTU has taken it one step further by not only banning “romantic songs” and shifting musical programs to be aired after 2 am but also it was mentioned in the news piece that some songs that have names within their lyrics which might be used as a satirical reference to politicians or politics in general will also be banned.

They mentioned a song from the early 1900s that I have never heard on TV just to say that it will be banned because of having the name “Ismail” in it suggesting that it can be used to mock the Salafi political figure Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail, this is something that I, personally, do not understand."
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(english.alarabiya.net)


Thanks to The Libertarian Republican for a heads up on this story.






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