He had me until "Nashville" :-) On Sep 8, 2010, at 2:59 PM, [email protected] wrote:
> Jihad Watch > > Iranian supremo: "Although music is halal, promoting and teaching it is not > compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the Islamic > Republic" > > Whenever I have pointed out that Islam generally views music negatively and > that some schools of Islamic law even ban it outright, I get called an > "Islamophobe" -- so I guess Khameni is an "Islamophobe" as well. > > There Is No Fun In Islam* Update from the Islamic Republic: "Music fails to > chime with Islamic values, says Iran's supreme leader," by Saeed Kamali > Dehghan in The Guardian, August 2 (thanks to all who sent this in): > > Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that music is "not > compatible" with the values of the Islamic republic, and should not be > practised or taught in the country. > In some of the most extreme comments by a senior regime figure since the 1979 > revolution, Khamenei said: "Although music is halal, promoting and teaching > it is not compatible with the highest values of the sacred regime of the > Islamic Republic." > > Khamenei's comments came in response to a request for a ruling by a > 21-year-old follower of his, who was thinking of starting music lessons, but > wanted to know if they were acceptable according to Islam, the semi-official > Fars news agency reported. "It's better that our dear youth spend their > valuable time in learning science and essential and useful skills and fill > their time with sport and healthy recreations instead of music," he said. > > Unlike other clerics in Iran, whose religious rulings are practised by their > own followers, Khamenei's views are interpreted as administrative orders for > the whole country, which must be obeyed by the government. Last month > Khamenei issued a controversial fatwa in which he likened his leadership to > that of the Prophet Muhammad and obliged all Iranians to obey his orders. > > Khamenei has rarely expressed his views on music publicly, but he is believed > have played a key role in the crackdown on Iran's music scene following the > revolution. When Khamenei was president, he banned western-style music, > forcing many stars to go into exile. > > Houshang Asadi, a former cellmate of Khamenei before the Islamic Revolution > said: "He hated the music from the beginning." > > "There were times I sang a song by Banan (a popular vocalist) for him and he > told me to avoid music and instead pray to God", said Asadi, who shared a > cell with Khamenei for four months in Moshtarak prison in Tehran in 1976 and > stayed friend with him for several years after the revolution. "The only > music he liked was revolutionary and religious anthems," said Asadi. > > After the reformist President Khatami took office in 1997, official attitudes > towards music and especially pop began to thaw. > > After his election in 2005, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cracked down on > music. His ministry of culture and Islamic guidance has refused permission > for the distribution of thousands of albums. Since last year's disputed > elections the authorities have given even fewer permits for public concerts, > fearing they could be used by the opposition.... > > > * The Ayatollah Khomeini said that. > > Posted by Robert on August 3, 2010 > > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
