Afghans Under Cultural Invasion: Tribal Elders

[Haris]

Afghans under cultural invasion of
foreign countries; says tribal elders


KABUL: Tribal elders say the country is under cultural invasion of the
regional and western countries while some of the internal media
organizations are part of the struggle and have paved the ground for
practicing unwanted traditions of the other countries.

Baz Mohammad, a tribal elder and regional director of the National Maliks
Association (NMA) in southeast parts of the country, says that since last
eight or nine years the country is under indirect cultural invasion of some
countries. He criticized the private media in the country for propagating
foreign culture in Afghan community that lead the community to a
destructive future. A series of private TV channels in the country are
broadcasting foreign serials and different programs which are not
compatible with Afghan culture and tradition. Most of the people especially
religious leaders and educated figures in the country term such clips and
serials against of the Afghan culture and traditional values and pushing the
government to put a ban on such programs and oblige the related media
not to publish such programs. Activists and those aware of the issue
stressed that such immoral programs lead the young generation to a
misleading direction because most of the youth are uneducated and easily
get attracted to immoral activities.

In the same time, the officials in the Ministry of Information and Culture
(MoIC) confirmed that some of the media channels broadcast unwanted
foreigner programs and they are being supported by some of the foreigner
countries. Sayed Makhdom Raheen, Minister of Culture and Information said
some of the foreign countries provide financial support to private media in
the country. Dr. Raheen alleged that besides of the TV channels there are
some websites which publish immoral and unethical programs through their
organizations.

In the meantime, the members of the Upper House criticized the related
organs on last Sunday for not preventing the foreigner serials and other
immoral programs. The members also have asked the government to
penalize those channels who disobey the rules of MoIC.

But the officials in MoIC say that they are strongly trying to ban the
publication of such programs and video clips in media and public markets.

But the open borders of the country have paved the ground for importing
of illegal video clips and other kinds of CDs and DVDs.

Media sector and freedom of speech are one of the biggest achievements
of the current government. But a number of TV and radio channels have
provoked tensions of religious and tribal elders by publishing unprincipled
and immoral programs and foreign serials.



Afghans under cultural invasion of foreign countries; says tribal elders

[Haris]

Senate Emphasizes On Media
Publications In Line With Religious
Instructions



Chairman of the Afghan Senate Fazle Hadi Muslimyar reviewed the current
media scenario in country along with the Minister of Information and
Culture Dr. Sayed Makhdoom Raheen in Kabul Sunday. Muslimyar expressed
concern over the telecast of certain dances and serials which are against
the Afghan values.

The two leaders also discussed the political affiliations of some of the
media and also the issue of foreign funding. Issues like threats to the
journalists, promotion of the alien culture, abusing individuals through
articles, existence of trade billboards in foreign languages, following up of
the Khapalwak murder and non-availability of historical monuments and
shrines and usurpation of land by the land mafia and the local radio that is
airing its publication through the headquarter of PRT in Khost province and
the incorrect interpretation of Holy Kuran also came up for discussion.

Dr. Raheen said that flexibility should be observed in the publications of
media and added that publications of TVs has conformity with the 90% of
Islamic countries’ publications. As regards the serials and that of foreign
serials more time and possibilities are needed to replace them with local
productions and reiterated that serials should be prepared from Islamic
countries such as Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia and other countries.

The senators also can introduce the serials that are against Islamic values
to the media violation committee. About the polluted internet and immoral
CDs he said that those sites have been closed by the communications
ministry, however, he asked cooperation from the people in this respect
and the ministry of interior. He added that his ministry is seeking donors for
reconstruction of 40 historical monuments, and that land usurped by mafia
in Qalae Bust of Helmand could not be retrieved from the land mafia.

He added that work on repairing of historic monuments and foundations in
Ghazni will be carried with the cooperation of Germany and soon work on
Hakeem Sanaye’s tomb and on the Aburaihan Al-Beruni will start and
assured that Ghazni will be prepared as cultural center of Islamic countries
by 2013.

Abdul Hamid Mubarez head of the Journalists’ Union said that during the
past nine months the journalists have achieved their mission and raised the
voice of people to the ear of the authorities and carried its role in
consolidation of government pillars.



Bakhtar News Agency - Senate Emphasizes On Media Publications In Line With Religious Instructions

[emkhan]

Afghanistan is being injected with another poison.
Just wait and watch...
Secularism = Dajjaali system

[kakargirl]

Haris wror mashallah best thread exactly , the invasion of western culture is trying to take over in kabul , once its in the country the afghans in the west who already follow western ways will be right at home , but ultra conservative afghans are waking up and realizing what the west is really up to the resistance is growing, never will the west or their puppets take over inshallah .

[Levanaye Zalmaye]

@Haris, Kakargirl, tribal elders:

Can anyone please post any of the clips that they're referring to here? They're saying "immoral" tv-serials and radio programs are being aired in Afghanistan. Can anyone post a link to any of these objectionable programs so that we can see for ourselves what the fuss is all about?

Because what I fear is that for a lot of misguided conservative people, watching a girl in a business suit or a pair of jeans on television is considered immoral. I doubt any Afghan broadcaster would be pushing pornographic material and all of this is much ado about nothing. Or perhaps this could be another form of resistance to the American occupation of their country?

In any case, I consider ourselves to be hypocrites in this regard, too. We also love following Lost, Harry Potter, House, Twilight and Indian drama serials but when someone from our villages starts watching them, we say that our ultra conservative afghans should wake up and realize what the West is really up to and increase our resistance, never will the west or their puppets take over inshallah.

We prefer the best Western brands of casual, sport and formal clothing for ourselves, the best colognes and shoes and the sleekest hairstyles that go best with our Western lifestyle. But for our village brethren, we want khiran kameez pardug so that "our culture and traditions stay intact" and we can sleep easy at night.

[Talal]

I agree with LZ, and it's not about secularism it's about letting people live the way they want

EDIT: er.. I don't agree with your tv show examples..If they are showing twilight in Afghanistan then I think riots are in order

[Haris]

@Haris, Kakargirl, tribal elders:

Can anyone please post any of the clips that they're referring to here? They're saying "immoral" tv-serials and radio programs are being aired in Afghanistan. Can anyone post a link to any of these objectionable programs so that we can see for ourselves what the fuss is all about?

Because what I fear is that for a lot of misguided conservative people, watching a girl in a business suit or a pair of jeans on television is considered immoral. I doubt any Afghan broadcaster would be pushing pornographic material and all of this is much ado about nothing. Or perhaps this could be another form of resistance to the American occupation of their country?

I would assume it is referring to the bollywood dramas which include dancing, love stories, themes such as adultery, showing of flesh (which is subsequently pixelated) etc etc which have been percieved to go against Islamopashtun values.

I don't know the finer details as i'm not really big on the bollywood scene.
I do know that these dramas are very popular in the urban areas. Not so much in the rural areas.

The articles state that programs that are more suited to our traditional/Islamic values should be promoted whether they are made at home or from other Islamic countries.

In any case, I consider ourselves to be hypocrites in this regard, too. We also love following Lost, Harry Potter, House, Twilight and Indian drama serials but when someone from our villages starts watching them, we say that our ultra conservative afghans should wake up and realize what the West is really up to and increase our resistance, never will the west or their puppets take over inshallah.

We prefer the best Western brands of casual, sport and formal clothing for ourselves, the best colognes and shoes and the sleekest hairstyles that go best with our Western lifestyle. But for our village brethren, we want khiran kameez pardug so that "our culture and traditions stay intact" and we can sleep easy at night.

Well one should note that it is not the Pashtun diaspora abroad that is advocating changes to the broadcasting schedule but the government and tribal elders back home.


Personally I rarely watch television and am not fussed about fashion or excessive indulgences on oneself (the best cologne, shoes, hairstyles or whatever).

I am not advocating anything here. I am not saying that they should or should not be watching certain shows.
I leave that to the rest of you.

[AFG21]

What have secularim to do whith this, Afghansiatn is an Islamic state, there is nothing secular about it, actually when Afghanistan was secular in the communist era somthing like this never happend, you didn´t had any indian dramas or foreign music on tv, the peopel who are allowing this are the so called mujhahidin who have fought in the holy war against kafir USSR.

And about the immorality, they mean, when you see how the indians are praing to a statue and do there thing you now whith the yellow flowers etc. And the same whith the songs, most of the songs that are immoral are foreigners songs, whith disco dancing and stuf. That is what the Afghan goverment is saing to be immoral. They complain so much about this, but I never here them saing somthing about the conditions of the women and children and how they are immoraly abused in the country.

[randolph85]

its more a case of the failure of afghans to produce their own entertainment/mass media social programing and blaming outsiders. its the nature of the globalized world to spread their filth, we shouldn't expect any better from them. what we should expect is our own people creating tv programing, music, and other forms of entertainment to cater to our own instead of creating a void and blaming the west for filling it.

whats stupid is parliament talking big but not passing any laws or allocating money to homegrown programing. then we have tribal elders saying foreigners are corrupting their people while discouraging participation in media projects for their youth to offset this western disease.

[gadoonwal]

Makdoom Raheen himself is the iranian pupet.
He is busy persainising afghanistan for iran.
Most pashtuns opposed him for the top job but since karzai is his key supporter so what can a poor pashtu speaking pashtun do about it.
The persains rule afghanistan since its creation by using persainised duranis against pashtun ghilzais.
Also it is not just iranian infulence but indain bollywood is the 2nd most famous culture there followed by westrens.


This is what happen when people and rulers do not respect their country.
Others will come and use you .
Today no one know what afghan culture and language mean.

afghan language should be pashtu but it is not.
afghan culture should mean pashtun culture but again it is not.
If everything change to farsi and farsiwan culture then it will be good people should not insult the afghan name then.or it may be mean something els.

[gadoonwal]

Haris wror mashallah best thread exactly , the invasion of western culture is trying to take over in kabul , once its in the country the afghans in the west who already follow western ways will be right at home , but ultra conservative afghans are waking up and realizing what the west is really up to the resistance is growing, never will the west or their puppets take over inshallah .

khoray stari mashay,,dera moda pas,

The history of westren influence on afghan culture gose back to the time of amanullah khan followed by the russains and now westren.
The greatest threat to afghan identity ,language and culture is parsi.
Iran with help of its pupet like raheen and karzai invested millions into persain media.
The pashtu media and presentation is just by name.
The problem is that no one can even oppose persain infuluence for the sake of afghan unity.The farsiwan language and culture is spreading everywhere with help of govt and media but lets declare pashtu and you will see how these people will start crying to divide the country.
They think pashtu creating division and farsi uniting the nation what a slave mind.
I have spoken to a very top man who himself is pashtun but supporting parsi.

One of the main reason many natinalist pashtun of east see their bright future in pashtunistan.

[afgpower]

i think you are overreacting a lil bit