Egyptian Vice Police Arrest Belly Dancing TV Station Owner For Facilitating

When I think of Egypt I think of the Pyramids, the Nile and belly dancing. Belly dancing is a traditional, popular dance form that dates back to ancient Egypt, but it's becoming less so as the country spirals downward towards a far more conservative and less tolerant Islam.  Once an enjoyment for all, it has only been accessible (and legal) in high-end hotels and clubs. Then about a year ago Baligh Hamdy started ElTet, a satellite TV station that exclusively broadcast belly dancing for the masses, at least those with access to satellite TV. Apparently Hamdy produced the videos himself, filming the dancers in their colorful skimpy outfits undulating to live music, and would then send the files to partners in Jordan and Bahrain, They would then air those videos on the satellite TV station.  People could tune in 24/7 to watch, until some viewers filed a complaint, and now Hamdy finds himself sitting in jail facing charges on suspicion of "facilitating prostitution", "harming public decency", "inciting licentiousness" and "operating without a license". 

Facilitating prostitution?  Belly dancers are now considered prostitutes? 
Hamdy was arrested by vice police in his flat in Cairo, which subbed as his studio, and now awaits his fate.

What might have gotten Hamdy in trouble, more so than the dancing itself, were the sexual enhancement and "matchmaking" ads he was airing during the broadcasts. Whether they were your typical match.com-type ads or the "voulez-vous couchez avec moi" escort-type ads, no-one is saying. I can't even imagine how they would deal with the plethora of 'little blue pill' ads that air during dinner time on U.S. networks.  Not that I approve of those ads while young ones are eating their spaghettiOs.

But there are those in Egypt who are dreading what the Islamists in leadership will bring to the table, in terms of censorship. If it's this bad now, I can't begin to imagine what will happen in a few years.
Sources: al Arabiya,WCSC,

Death Fatwa For Iranian Rapper

What do 31-year-old Iranian rapper Shahin Najafi and Brit/Indian writer Salman Rushdie have in common?  They both have prices on their heads, and both death fatwas originated from Ayatollah's in Iran, that mecca of tolerance. 

Shahin, whose music is socio/political in nature, luckily now lives in Germany where he emigrated to in 2005. A social activist, he writes about everything from sexism to theocracy to censorship, but his latest song "Naghi" is what got him into deep trouble with Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Safi Golpayegani of Qom. The lyrics skewer the 10th Imam 'Naghi' (aka Naqui) and Shia Muslims take great umbrage with anyone who offends their precious dead Imams, even the lesser known ones. But Golpayegani isn't the only one calling for Najafi's death, shia-online.ir is actually offering a $100,000 reward.  And those behind a campaign to have him hanged for apostasy (initiated by an Iranian news website Asr Emrous), want all Muslims (not just Shi'ites) to search for Najafi and "send him to hell."

Rushdie was forced into hiding for years, who knows if Najafi will be forced to do the same thing, or whether he will just thumb his nose at the mullah's- his songs certainly have done that.

The youtube video causing all the furor.

Another translation of the lyrics.

Tehran To Crack Down On Dress Code Violations

There are actually Muslim women (and their liberal tools) who claim banning them from wearing the hijab (Islamic veil)  is a violation of their rights. I wonder if they would feel the same way if they were actually forced to wear one, like in Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, women were not forced to wear the veil. Once the mullahs took over all that changed. And though the dress code isn't as restrictive as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, Iran is ready for its annual crackdown on violations.

TEHRAN -- Tehran Police Chief Hossein Sajedinia says a new campaign to crack down on dress code violations has been launched in the Iranian capital.

Sajedinia was quoted by Iranian news agencies as saying that police will go after clothing manufacturers and companies that import dresses deemed inappropriate.

He said authorities also will pursue individuals who wear the clothing.

Thousands of Iranian citizens are detained and fined each year during the annual crackdown, usually launched in spring, which aims at enforcing an Islamic dress code.

Not that they don't fight back.



But this is what could happen to all the women in the Arab Spring countries that now have an Islamist majority leadership.