Afghan TV Star Contest a Hit - Clerics Disapprove
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Afghan TV Star Contest a Hit - Clerics Disapprove
CHEN: In Afghanistan the Star TV talent show has quite a following. But it is also being condemned as un-Islamic by clerics. They want the show to be taken off the air. STORY: Lima Sahar's place in Afghanistan's very own version of Pop Idol has brought her controversy - and curtains as the first-ever women to make the final three was voted off. Sahar is a member of the Pashtun ethnic group which forms the backbone of Taliban support. And she's from Kandahar in the south where it's rare for women even to venture outdoors. Sahar's less-than-perfect singing voice has led some to question how she got so far in the contest but she says she had no regrets. [Lima Sahar, Afghan Star Contestant]: "I see a lot of changes in my life. I get recognized world-wide. I see a lot of people encouraging and supporting me, not just the Pashtun people. That makes me very proud and I want to go on doing this." The show is now in its third season and has gathered mass audiences. But it's earned condemnation from Muslim clerics who want it taken off air. [Mowlawi Abdul Raouf, Afghan Cleric]: "If a Muslim girl tries to become an Afghan star I can see that she is not a star. She is the great Satan of Afghan and this is very embarrassing for Afghans in our society. This action is not allowed in Islam at all." Surviving finalists Rafi Nabzada and Hamed Sakhizada will fight it out next week as Afghanistan's search for a star reaches its ultimate climax despite the clerics' disapproval.
YouTube | March 18, 2008
