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Afghanistan parliament bans Indian soap operas
Published on Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 14:55 in Entertainment section
Tags: Afghanistan, Serials , Kabul
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Kabul: Afghanistan's parliament has issued a declaration banning the broadcast of five Indian TV serials from Tuesday onwards.
Dell Jan is an Afghan widow and a mother of six who relies on a car battery to watch Indian soaps that offer her a peek into a different way of life.
A fan of Indian soaps, Dell Jan says, "I like Tulsi a lot and my also children like her a lot. When the series started on television, we stopped all of our work, even eating, and kept watching the series. We love it, it’s entertainment for children."
Many families in Afghanistan rely on Indian television serials like Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki for their daily dose of entertainment. But the country's conservative Muslim clerics have demanded a ban on Indian soap operas terming them "immoral" and against "Islamic culture."
A Kabul resident Gullab Khan says, "These programmes have changed the behaviour of our children and women, we don't want them. All Muslims know that they are not allowed in Islam."
University teacher Enayatullah Balegh says, "We are 6,000 people in the mosque, and our intention to go and blow up all the television station antennas if they do not stop airing the soap operas."
The lower house of Afghanistan's parliament has now issued a declaration to private TV channels to stop the broadcasting of five Indian soap operas April 15 onwards. However Tolo, an Afghanistan channel, which airs Indian serials, has termed the declaration as unlawful.
Tolo TV Presenter Masood Qiam says, "It's an unlawful declaration, we broadcast our programmes based on media law and we will never stop the airing of these Indian serials."
In fact, private TV channels have been censoring scenes of Hindu worship and exposure by women but it looks like the larger problem lies in the interpretation of this law and what is considered anti-Islamic.
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URBANEYE
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Wish states of India had same right to ban these broadcasts which doesn't align with their culture!!!
or a forced attempt
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