Skin Scandal On Kabul Cable

Country Bans Foreign Cable Shows As Offensive To Islam

(AP)  In a move reminiscent of the ousted Taliban, Afghanistan's chief justice has stopped cable TV broadcasts, complaining of images that violate Islamic morals.

Chief Justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he issued the ban, which took effect over the weekend, after a group of citizens said they were outraged by images of scantily clad women and men.

"Negative programs, such as prostitution and nudity, I don't want such TV in this country," said Shinwari.

Cable networks in Afghanistan typically carry many international channels, including Italian, French and German stations, as well as sports and movie channels and news networks like CNN and the British Broadcasting Corp.

The Taliban banned all television and music, saying it was against Islamic teachings. The Taliban were driven from power by a U.S.-led assault in late 2001.

Shinwari said programs with women and men together were acceptable if they were informative and entertaining.

Cable broadcasts were shut off Sunday across the country after Shinwari's ruling. But satellite TV broadcasts, received through satellite dishes, are unlicensed and have not been interrupted.

Information and Culture Minister Makhdom Raheen said Afghanistan has four licensed cable networks, which are government-monitored. He claimed none had been broadcasting objectionable material. Any objectionable images were likely part of unlicensed transmissions, he said.

Raheen said the topic would be brought up at the next Cabinet meeting, scheduled for Monday. Raheen said he would like to see cable service restored.

"The freedom of cable is a part of the freedom of our press," he said.

Said Mostafa, a director of Star Cable Network, which provides 900 homes with 32 cable channels in eastern Kabul, said government officials told him to stop broadcasting until they issue guidelines. Mostafa called the decision unfair.

"We are very sad. We are very disappointed," said Abdul Salim, a Kabul cable subscriber. "I have never heard any complaints about this."

Afghanistan's new government has lifted many of the Taliban's restrictions on employment and education of women. But some Taliban-era laws remain.

Western Afghanistan's Herat province recently banned men from teaching female students, a move opponents say will severely curtail education for women and girls because most teachers are men.