"They have basically banned everything that is fun, so we feel increasingly bored."
There Is No Fun In Islam* Alert from Somalia: "Somalia Islamist group bans video games," by Mustafa Haji Abdinur for AFP, January 28:
MOGADISHU -- Somalia's Islamist insurgents on Thursday banned video games, one of the last forms of entertainment left for local youth, arguing they were destroying the country's social fabric.The Hezb al-Islam group, currently engaged in a deadly insurgency against the internationally-backed federal government, made the announcement in a statement circulated in the areas it controls.
"Starting two days after this statement's date of issue, all video game playing centres in the areas under Hezb al-Islam control should be closed and playing video games will be prohibited," it said.
"Video games are designed in such a way that they destroy our social traditions and for that reason, anybody found ignoring this order will be punished and equipment will be confiscated," it said.
It was signed by Sheikh Mohamed Omar, head of propaganda for Hezb al-Islam, an insurgent group headed by influential cleric Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and which controls densely-populated areas in and around Mogadishu....
"Hezb al-Islam officials ordered us to close our video game centres so today we're closed. We don't have a choice," said Ali Hidig, a game centre owner in Elashabiyaha, a village hosting refugees on the outskirts of Mogadishu.
"Young boys used to like coming here for entertainment after school but it looks like this is now a thing of the past," he told AFP.
The disappointment was deep among teenage boys in the area, where movies and sports are also banned.
"We used to watch movies. They were banned. Now the PlayStations we had fun with are also banned. This country is not for young people like me," said Abdirahman Hirsi, a 19-year-old from Lafole town.
"They have basically banned everything that is fun, so we feel increasingly bored," said another boy.
Abdi Moge, an older resident in the village, argued that there were few alternatives to occupy young people other than joining an armed group.
"Who knows what else the children are going to do now. It's not as if there was proper education for them. The more they are prevented from playing, the more likely they are to join the fighting," he said.
Hezb al-Islam and their insurgency comrades from the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab group are implementing a very strict form of Sharia (Islamic law) in the areas they control.
The Hezb al-Islam statement did not make clear what forms of punishment would be reserved for diehard gamers caught flouting the ban.
However, in recent months across Somalia, people found dancing to traditional songs have been flogged, men guilty of trimming their beards arrested and youth playing football in shorts reprimanded by religious police units.
Satellite television is also banned in many areas and there are no cinemas left in central and southern Somalia, which are under Islamist control....
* The Ayatollah Khomeini said that.
WHAT!?! Not even "Stronghold: Crusader" or "Crusader Kings: Deus Vult"???
Man! What Killjoys! (heh, get it? KILLjoy - OK, never mind.)
Banning video games? I find that difficult to believe. Next you'll be telling me that music and flying kites is banned under Islam.
At least they've still got alcohol.
"Who knows what else the children are going to do now. It's not as if there was proper education for them. The more they are prevented from playing, the more likely they are to join the fighting," he said.
That's the whole idea, isn't it?
I wouldn't be surprised if Hezb al-Islam's ulterior goal is to direct young ppl to fighting w/the insuregents.
Masihi,
Yes, after first dispelling their boredom by marrying and raping a "wife", to produce more little bored Muhammedans.
Banning sports is a very bad idea, though. This stunts the development of strength, agility, teamwork and speed that could be used later in jihad. As for the video games, well, they're just insidious. Many home computer games help people improve their math and spelling skills. It's terrible, I say! Terrible!
Muslims - this is what you signed up for. Of course if you want to leave Islam (to have fun perhaps), there is that death penalty for apostasy.
Too bad, so sad.
Perhaps we should drop some flyers on them that say, "If you convert to Christianity, you can have your video games and soccer balls back. You can even play soccer wearing shorts so you don't drop dead from the heat!"
No fun in islam, eh? I don't know, the Ayatollah seems to have fun being a killjoy, and I bet he does a happy dance every chance he gets ...behind closed doors, of course.
Somalia is a hellhole. If it suddenly disappeared one day, the world would be a better place.
, arguing they were destroying the country's social fabric.
Social fabric?! That's a good one! Get the boys out of the theaters and arcades and get them into the jihad; that's the plan. The tattered "social fabric" of Somalia is hardly worth salvaging. That malignant hellhole needs to be surgically removed from planet earth.
I ran across a remake of the old seventies movie, Planet of the Apes, and watched about thirty minutes of it. I couldn't help but notice the stark similarities between the apes and muslims. The apes had the same savage tendencies as muslims, as well as their supremacist, hostile attitude and hatred for humans.
Sounds as if only their lord and saviour the Big "Mo" was allowed to have any fun. Of course his idea of "fun" is illegal in civilized society.