Saturday, December 31, 2005
Saudi telecom stops text vote for Arab Star Academy
[Via Textually org.]
Saudi telecom stops text vote for Arab Star Academy
A cell phone operator in Saudi Arabia has cut off text message voting for TV show Star Academy because of a religious fatwa, reports CBC.
The show brings together 16 young Arabs in a shared house to attend sports, singing, music and dance classes. Religious scholars have condemned the show as "culturally inappropriate." That led to the ban on text message voting by Saudi cell phone operator Mobily this week. Saudi Telecommunications Co., the largest mobile firm in the conservative kingdom, had already blocked voting.
"The decision was taken last night because of a fatwa (religious decree) issued last year, since the program is culturally inappropriate," Mobily spokesman Humoud Alghodaini said. "It shows men and women living in one house, sometimes semi-naked and in inappropriate situations," he added.
"We will definitely lose money, but how much, I don't know," Alghodaini said. "If we don't (stop messaging) it would backfire on us and affect our brand."
Some music fans say they managed in the past to vote for show contestants on the internet, bypassing the government server which controls access.
