It’s funny how those who point out that Islamic law forbids music are branded as “Islamophobes” by Muslims in the West, whereas in Somalia the Muslims themselves seem to be “Islamophobic”: “We don’t allow anything that goes against our religion, especially music,” said Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, apparently a serious Misunderstander of Islam.
There Is No Fun In Islam* Alert: “Rebels ban musical ringtones on phones,” by Sahra Abdi for Reuters, November 3 (thanks to Maxwell):
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Sacdiyo Sheeq used to love listening to Bollywood movie songs on her mobile telephone.
But since hardline al Shabaab insurgents seized the southern Somali port of Kismayu, the 25-year-old’s life has changed.
“Al Shabaab wants our ringtones to be only a Muslim cleric reading the Hadith or Koranic verse,” she told Reuters.
“I used to listen to my favorite Indian songs on my cell phone, but now I have just thrown that memory away.”…
“We do not tolerate anything that may corrupt the people,” al Shabaab’s spokesman in Kismayu, Sheikh Hassan Yaqub, told Reuters by telephone. “We don’t allow anything that goes against our religion, especially music and sexy videos.”
Ali Mahamud Yusuf, 19, fled his home in Kismayu after he was whipped in public last week by al Shabaab gunmen who had caught him listening to music and watching videos on his phone.
“I am still suffering from the 25 lashes,” Yusuf said. “They accused me of rejecting religion. I don’t want to tell you where I am now for security reasons. I am scared.”…
But Kismayu residents said the rebel group’s latest rules on mobile phone ringtones posed yet another dilemma — since the faithful are not supposed to interrupt the Hadith (the word of the Prophet Mohammed), how are they supposed to answer calls?
There goes phone service in Kismayu!
* The Ayatollah Khomeini said that.