Hamas cuts local American Idol loose

20 Jan 2012 | Middle East and North Africa

To the dismay of those born before the 90s, last year a remake of the 1984 classic Footloose was released. Studio executives might be pleased to learn that they might be able to retell the story — with an international twist.

On Thursday Hamas banned Gaza residents from singing in the Palestinian version of American Idol, called New Star. Executives from the show, set to air next month, said that the ban force 12 contestants from the competition.

Hamas, which has been criticised for clamping down on free expression in the region, deemed the programme to be “indecent” according to contest organisers.

New Star is in its third year, and the popular programme doesn’t stray very far from the format we’ve grown to love in the United States and beyond. The programme’s answer to Simon Cowell, Dr. Ghawi Ghawi, is an all-too-familiar character for anyone out there with an Arab father. And just like Idol spin-offs all over the world, it offers the chance to make fun of delusional contestants.

No word as to whether or not the Palestinian answer to Footloose’s Ren McCormack will challenge Hamas, get the girl and save the day.

Gaza: New restrictions on foreign journalists

5 Oct 2011 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost

Hamas’s interior ministry has adopted new rules restricting the reporting of foreign journalistse. According to the new rules, foreign journalists would have to apply to Gaza’s interior ministry in advance, and processing “could take several days”. The application process also requires foreign journalists to name a “guarantor” in the Gaza strip.  According to government officials, the news regulations are necessary for “security and control purposes.”

 

Gaza Strip: Reporter interrogated over Salafist group reports

30 Jun 2011 | Index Index, minipost

The Gaza Strip correspondent for France 24, Salama Atallah, has claimed that he was interrogated by Hamas security officials on 26 June. According to Atallah, threats, insults and beatings were used in an attempt to obtain further information about a Salafist group he had been reporting on in Gaza. Prior to this, Atallah had been questioned three times in the month of June and he has recently announced that he will undergo a fifth interrogation on 30 June.