In Kashmir, young girls who performed in their own rock-band are now silenced by fear, following a fatwa by the Grand Mufti declaring that music, especially for women, is ‘un-Islamic.’ At a time when the whole country has been on the streets demanding women’s freedom to speak, sing, write, live, and love without fear, it is shameful that girls’ freedom of expression is under attack. After the recent ‘raid’ on ice-cream parlours in Mangalore by the Hindutva groups who handed young couples over to the police, we have this fatwa in the name of Islam against young women singers in Kashmir. Misogynist and patriarchal restrictions on women’s freedom, by fundamentalists and fanatics of all hues, must be resisted tooth and nail.
After the attack on the women artists’ freedom of expression in Kashmir, yet another artist’s freedom has been under attack. The paintings of an artist Anirudh Krishnamani in Karnataka have been taken down from an exhibition because Hindutva fanatics backed by the ruling BJP Government accused them of depicting Indian mythological figures in an ‘obscene’ way.
We condemn the culture cops who try to attack music and art. We stand in solidarity with the Kashmiri all-girl rock band Pragaash, and we are eager to be able to see them perform and hear their music. We stand in solidarity with Anirudh Krishnamani, and are eager to be able to view his paintings.
Kavita Krishnan
Kamayani bali Mahabal
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- Fatwa issued against Kashmiri all-girl band #WTFnews #Vaw #Moralpolicing (kashmirsolidaritymumbai.wordpress.com)
petervas
/ February 6, 2013the Karnataka BJP govt is curtailing artist’s freedom and rights. http://tinyurl.com/abbhm3y
this is very similar to what happened to MF Husain. http://tinyurl.com/ad8wt96
sonalipattnaik
/ February 6, 2013bans and fatwas against art or anything for that matter is a violation of fundamental rights and a reflection of an intolerant, undemocratic and un-thinking society and must be resisted vehemently and urgently.