Inside The Middle East
SHOW #65
Hosted by Schams Elwazer in Beirut
MOVIE CENSORSHIP CONTROVERSY
A recent movie ban has ignited debate and shed light on censorship in Lebanon, specifically the relationship between religious institutions and the censorship bureau. After initially obtaining a license to screen the movie “Help,” the director received a call orally revoking the permission days after its press screening and demanding that a quarter of the scenes be cut. Freedom of speech activists say the censorship authorities were pressured by the Catholic Information Center, the media arm of the Catholic Church in Lebanon who in 2006 successfully argued for a ban on the Da Vinci Code book and movie. Church representatives say the movie has an immoral message, including the depiction of homosexual sex, a threesome and showing the lead actress in the nude. The director says he was trying to put a human face on the darker side of society.
IRAN’S SURGING UNDERGROUND ROCK SCENE
Rock & Roll is banned in the Islamic Republic of Iran in public and on the radio. Performing in public can lead to arrest, floggings and accusations of Satan worship. Reza Sayah takes you underground in Tehran where Yellow Dog, an up and coming indie rock bands, are following their dreams. For years these young rockers practiced in a tiny converted garbage room they call “the dog house”. They’ve only had two underground concerts but despite all the obstacles, organizers of a rock festival in the US were so impressed with the Yellow Dogs’ sound, they invited them to perform. Will they be able to leave Iran and follow in the footsteps of other Iranian indie bands? What do their mothers think? Why do they sing in English when three out of the four band members can’t speak the language? And what does life in Iran’s mysterious underground rock scene really look like?
ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS REVEALED
For over 10 years AFP photographer Menachem Kahana has documented the closed and often secretive world of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community (aka the Haredi) in Israel. His photographs illustrate what is to most people the surreal and other-worldly customs of the Haredi, but at the same time offer a very human face to a community of people not known for sharing intimate moments of their lives with outsiders. We spend time with Kahana as he photographs the Haredi community and take a look at a just opened exhibit of his work which has brought rave reviews from some and derision from others.
VIGNETTE - “GIRLS’ TAXI” - FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN
We’ll bring you a vignette on a new venture in Beirut called “Banat Taxi” or “Girls’ Taxi” - a cab company for women, by women - with a staff of pink-clad women driving a fleet of pink Peugots. As Lebanon feels the pinch of the economic crisis, this company is hoping to cater to a conservative Arab clientele, especially female tourists from the Gulf countries.
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