News stories world-wide News 2009 News 2008 News 2007 News 2006 News 2005 News 2004 News 2003 News 2002 News 2001 About music censorship Artists on censorship About Freemuse Publications Study room Activities Links Press room

NEWS 03 August 2004 Clerics condemn Kashmir pop song Religious leaders in Indian administered Kashmir have sought a ban on a pop song by two Pakistani singers. A line in the song, Kachi Pencil (Fragile Pencil), says God has written the fate of man with a fragile pencil. The song has become popular with people across the disputed state, despite the protests by enraged clerics who say God would never do such a thing. They have threatened to take to the streets in protest at the song, which is sung by Akram Rahi and Naseebo Lal. Story from BBC Related reading: Pakistan: Two South Indian dance teachers stand up to ban For the past 53 years, Indu and Tehreema Mitha have been doing the impossible in Pakistan: teaching South Indian dance to Muslim girls in a country where Islamic clergymen will not allow girls to dance 05 December 2004 Clerics condemn Kashmir pop song Religious leaders in Kashmir have sought a ban on a pop song by two Pakistani singers. A line in the song, Kachi Pencil (Fragile Pencil), says God has written the fate of man with a fragile pencil 03 August 2004 Pakistan: Marked for death by the Taliban Interview with an exiled Pakistani singer in the US who wished to remain anonymous out of concern for the safety of his family at home in Pakistan 24 August 2009 Pakistan: 800 music shops bombed over three years "No doubt this is the most critical phase in the history of our province," writes journalist Shaheen Buneri about the situation for artists in north-western Pakistan 09 July 2009 Afghanistan and Pakistan: Understanding the Taliban's campaign against music Ethnomusicologist John Baily and Freemuse executive director Marie Korpe speak about the Taliban’s campaign against music and musicians in Afghanistan and Pakistan 23 June 2009 Pakistan: 'Taliban have hijacked Islam', says Freemuse ambassador In an article published by Washington Post, Freemuse ambassador and singer Salman Ahmad and filmmaker Karam Pasha criticise the Taliban of hijacking Islam in Pakistan 28 April 2009 Pakistan: Music has died in the Swat valley Musical expressions are completely banned and ruthlessly discouraged in the newly founded Taliban state of Swat in north-western part of Pakistan 23 April 2009 Pakistan/USA: Salman Ahmad: Obama should listen to Pakistani artists As the Taliban silence music in the Swat Valley in northern Pakistan, Freemuse ambassador Salman Ahmad denounces the Pakistani peace accord with the Taliban 13 March 2009 North-west Pakistan: Jihadi hymns replace music The rapidly growing influence of the Taliban in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province has left the areas’ singers and musicians with few choices 29 December 2008 Pakistan: Musician threatened in Karachi Musician and singer Noel Jamshaid was threatened by unidentified persons in Karachi, wrote Minorities Concern of Pakistan 08 December 2008 Pakistan: Music and militancy in the frontier (radio report) This radio report tells about religious militants' attacks on music centres, and the reactions from the owners of the music business in Swat Valley of North-West Pakistan. 25 February 2008 Pakistan: Musicians and singers live in danger A complete ban on all singing and dancing has been implemented in Mingora city in northern Pakistan. The singers and dancers have been thrown out of business 13 December 2007 Pakistan: Attack on hotel where music was played Dozens of local Taliban extremists attacked and ransacked a hotel in Mingora in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province, because people were dancing and playing music there 18 September 2007 Pakistan: Taliban group issues new ban on sale of music If you sell music CDs and cassettes in Zargari and other areas in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, you will now be fined 50,000 rupees 23 August 2007 Pakistan: Religious extremists destroyed 25 music shops In June 2007 alone, there were more than 20 bomb attacks on music shops in north-west Pakistan. On 4 July, five more music shops were set ablaze with petrol 04 July 2007 Pakistan: Intensified campaign against music Religious militants in north-western Pakistan continue violent attacks on property belonging to people who sell or listen to music 08 May 2007 Pakistan: Fear and persecution follows Afghan musicians The fear and persecution which forced Afghan singers to leave their country now has followed them to their exile in Peshawar in Pakistan 04 April 2007 Pakistan: Extremists kill one, injure two in music shop attacks Extremist religious groups intensify their campaign against all forms of entertainment in north-west Pakistan. Attacks on music centres left one killed and two seriously injured 18 March 2007 India: Album recalled and destroyed because it offends Christians EMI Music has pulled the new album by the American Heavy Metal band Slayer from music stores across India because of protests from the Christian community 12 October 2006 Pakistan: Two more music shops bombed Bombs damaged two music shops in a bazaar in Bannu in north-western Pakistan on 11 September 2006. Explosions damaging music shops are increasingly shaking up the area. 13 September 2006 Pakistan: Explosion destroys music shops Suspected Islamic militants planted explosive material near a music shop in the center of the bazaar in Tanak district of North-West Frontier Province in Pakistan 26 January 2006 Salman Ahmad Video interview with ex-Junoon member Salman Ahmad about music prohibition among Islamists, and about music censorship in Pakistan 22 November 2005 India: Government bans “raunchy” music videos In April 2006, the Government of India banned “raunchy music videos”. However, the Times of India reports that the ban has not been implemented 11 May 2006 Pakistan: Music stores are rebuilt in Swat valley In the north-western Pakistani valley of Swat, the Taliban's ban on all forms of artistic expression has been lifted, and culture now makes a comeback 04 November 2009 Pakistan: Lahore feels under siege Pakistan's performing artists face deadly occupational hazards. Lahore's music festival, and theatres across the city are bombed in co-ordinated overnight raids 31 July 2009 Pakistan: 'Musicians are in panic', says popular singer Musicians, singers, and other art performers are in panic. We are all at risk, Zeek Afridi, an up-and-coming singer fromm Peshawar, told correspondents of Radio Liberty 23 June 2009 Pakistan: Singer shot dead by her brothers The popular Pashto singer Shamim Aiman Udas was murdered on 26 April 2009. According to her husband, she was killed by her own brothers 28 April 2009 Pakistan: Four men shaved as punishment for listening to music In Buner district a young man told that Taliban militants had shaved the heads and moustaches of him and three friends for listening to music in the evening of 25 April 2009 28 April 2009 Pakistan: High Court imposes ban on 'immoral songs' On 27 April 2009 the Lahore High Court imposed a ban on songs by two Lahore singers, deeming them 'indecent' and 'against the values of a Muslim society' 28 April 2009 Afghanistan: Afghan idol: 'My life is under threat' Lima Sahar charmed her way into the third spot of the 2008 version of the wildly popular 'Afghan Star' competition. Now in exile, she fears for her life 01 April 2009 Pakistan: University's musicology department threatened by student’s organisation The musicology department at Punjab University in Lahore has moved out of the university after a religious student group threatened with ‘dire consequences’ 25 March 2009 Pakistan: Harmonium player Anwar Gul murdered by militants On 15 December 2008, a group of musicians were attacked by armed men. Two days later at a hospital in Peshawar, the harmonium player Anwar Gul died from his wounds 16 February 2009 Sardar Yousafzai Audio interview with the popular Pashtun singer Sardar Yousafzai who on 15 December 2008 was attacked by unidentified militants 04 February 2009 Gulzar Alam Audio interview with the popular Pashtun singer Gulzar Alam who escaped an attack on his life on 16 October 2008 26 January 2009 Pakistan: Taliban kill dancer in Swat valley Shabana, one of Pakistan's celebrated dancers, was shot dead on 2 January 2009 after defying the Taliban's ban on music and dance 15 January 2009 Pakistan: Death threats from the Taliban made singer flee his country Haroon Bacha, a 36-year-old Pashtun singer, fled his homeland and is now in the US where he is doing performances, reported New York Times on 12 October 2008 20 October 2008 Pakistan: 'The Miscreants' - The popular culture of war in Pakistan Documentary and fiction is mixed in this film by Australian director George Gittoes who based himself in Peshawar for six months to talk to religious leaders of the region 20 October 2008 Pakistan: String of bomb attacks on CD shops across the northwest province Religious militants have blown up numerous music shops in the northwest region. On 9 October in Peshawar a bomb blast damaged almost all 40 shops in Hussain CD market 11 October 2007 Pakistan: Religious music prohibition discussed in popular movie Feature film about a musician who gets inspired by a cleric to give up music for religious reasons became Pakistan's highest grossing movie of all time 06 August 2007 Freemuse: Religious fanatics a threat to music Freemuse presentation at the IASPM conference for popular music researchers from the whole world - in 2007 held in Mexico City 27 June 2007