anti-BlackMetalism

[thomas kyhn rovsing hjoernet]

On 28/02/03 0:23, "prozak at anus.com" <prozak at anus.com> wrote:

What an ill-advised strategy, now it will appear as if this anachronistic
genre has got an actual subversive potential.

> Malaysian state bans 'black metal' music
> August 3, 2001 Posted: 9:13 AM EDT (1313 GMT)
>  
> KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A Malaysian state is to officially declare
> a form of heavy-metal music forbidden, or "haram," for Muslims.
> 
> Southwestern Negri Sembilan state is making the move to support this
> week's decision by the country's Islamic leaders to outlaw "black
> metal" because of its impact on youth.
> 
> "We will gazette (the decision) as a fatwa (Islamic edict)," Negri
> Sembilan Chief Minister Mohamed Isa Abdul Samad Mohamed told
> reporters. 
> 
> Earlier this month officials said they discovered that a cult, based
> on heavy-metal music, was promoting anti-social behavior and
> occultism among youth in some northern states.
> 
> Religious leaders said they found "Satanic" objects -- necklaces of
> skulls and references to animal sacrifices in amateur "fanzines"
> devoted to what is labeled black metal.
> 
> Authorities said this week that all foreign rock groups planning to
> perform in the country would have to submit a concert video for
> approval. 
> 
> The heavy-metal crackdown comes as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
> defends a ban on political gatherings and police confirm four more
> opposition figures have been arrested under harsh internal security
> laws. 
> 
> The Malaysian Human Rights Commission has issued a report calling the
> ban a needless curb on freedom of expression and urged the Malaysian
> leader to overhaul laws on political gatherings.
> 
> The ban, imposed by police on security grounds, has hit opposition
> parties that gained ground against Mahathir in the 1999 general
> elections. Human rights groups say it is aimed at stifling dissent
> against Mahathir's 20-year rule.
> 
> Fundamentalists have emerged as the most potent challenger to
> Mahathir's ruling United Malays National Organization. Both compete
> for votes among Malay Muslims, the predominant ethnic group in this
> Southeast Asian nation of 23 million people.
> 
> The arrests marked the first time that the Internal Security Act,
> which allows for detention without trial, has been wielded against
> the Islamic party in many years.
> 
> The country's human rights group, appointed by the government
> following intense criticism of the sacking and jailing of former
> deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1998, has urged an end to the
> permit requirements.
> 
> Malaysians are increasingly demanding civil and political liberties
> and it is "imperative for the government to respond to the changing
> political climate," their report said.
> 
> It urged police to show restraint in dispersing rallies, saying there
> had been numerous complaints of people being assaulted and fired at
> with chemically laced water.
> 
> But their recommendations are not likely to go far as the commission
> has no enforcement powers and acts only in an advisory capacity.
> 
> Mahathir, who has put a priority on political stability and rapid
> economic development during his long rule, said Friday he would not
> allow Malaysia to be ruined at the expense of absolute freedom of
> speech. 
> 
> The size of protests has fallen hugely from the tens of thousands of
> people who took to the streets
> in 1998 after Anwar, the heir-apparent, was sacked and jailed amid
> disputes with Mahathir over
> how to handle the Asian economic crisis.
> 
> Anwar has been sentenced to prison terms totaling 15 years for
> corruption and sodomy. He claims he was framed in a conspiracy to
> prevent him from challenging Mahathir for power. The government
> denies it. 
> 
> http://www.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/08/03/malaysia.ban/ind
> ex.html


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