TWO Somali football fans have been killed by Islamic militants after being caught watching World Cup matches, according to a report today in the Telegraph.
A young Somalian takes his life in his hands by watching football on TV
The deaths happened on Saturday near the capital Mogadishu when members of the Hizbul Islam group stormed a house where people were watching Nigeria play Argentina.
A further 10 people were arrested by the group, which has imposed a strict version of Islam in the areas they control in southern and central Somalia.
The following night, another 30 people including a 15-year-old boy were arrested as the watched the Germany-Australia game in two private homes in the town of Afgoye.
A spokesman for the group, Sheikh Mohamed Abdi Aros, said the rest of Somalia should respect their ban on the World Cup – the first to be hosted in Africa – and focus instead on “pursuing holy jihad”.
We are warning all the youth of Somalia not to dare watch these World Cup matches. It is a waste of money and time and they will not benefit anything or get any experience by watching mad men jumping up and down.
The ban, which has seen radio stations around the city taken off air for playing music, has resulted in people flocking to public cinemas in the few Government-controlled areas of the country.
Ahmed Santos used to live in an area of Somalia run by militants, but now is in a government-controlled area. He said:
I can now freely watch the matches,. I am so sorry that some of my friends who are now living where I was once don’t have that chance to watch the World Cup. I really feel sorry for them.
Others are risking the wrath of the militants, such is their love of the beautiful game.
One man, who lives in the militant-controlled livestock market area of the city said he watched Algeria-Slovenia at home with his family, said:
I have one eye on the TV and the other on the door, and the sound turned down.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
June 16th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
It is a waste of money and time and they will not benefit anything or get any experience by watching mad men jumping up and down.
Nothing like the Islamists, then?
June 16th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
“…and they will not benefit anything or get any experience by watching mad men jumping up and down.
Pot, kettle, black.
June 16th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Pic of some mad men jumping up and down:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix.....34x410.jpg
June 16th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
We must find that religious gene, so we can cure or kill the religulous. Seems to be the only way to make this planet saner and safer. I’m no soccer-fan, but I would never kill anyone watching a game. But than again, I’m not religious, so I wouldn’t have the excuse/reason these Hizbul Islam nuts consider themselves to have.
June 16th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
It’s easy enough to pour scorn on these murderous idiots but has anyone seen the article by that dickhead Terry Eagleton in the Guardian ? Basically saying much the same thing as sheikh nutjob above, not terribly surprising I suppose considering his sucking up to the religious to find him talking about banning football but a salutary reminder that we have fanatics in our own midst too.
June 16th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
i’m no fan of football and I’m avoiding the world cup like the plague right now but I hate religious extremists more than I hate football, I come from Glasgow were religious stupidity and football go hand in hand.
June 16th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
Eagleton is an elitist prick of the highest order. This wanker clearly has never been to a football ground in his life. I would believe that many of the happy clappy Christian brigade would ban football on the grounds it encourage idolatry. They would much rather have people being miserable in church than being miserable in a football ground
June 16th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
makes you appreciate the freedom we have in the west. These poor sods have to live their whole lives without fun or art or music or sport. How cowed down do you have to be to believe that this is how you are meant to live?
June 16th, 2010 at 6:18 pm
It’s not just muslims who don’t like you to enjoy yourself, let’s not forget that during Cromwell’s time the religious authorities banned a lot of fun things and real xtian fundies today would ban anything other than going to church if they could.
June 16th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
lets not forget the “wee frees” in scotland who want to ban people from doing anything on a sunday and go around chaining up kids swing parks and all the bible bashers who want to ban video games and harry potter and halloween and of course heavy metal and rock music in all it’s forms all things that muslims want to ban too maybe what these fundies need is a marathon gaming and horror/action movie DVD marathon maybe get them out doing some extreme sports or get them to do a bungee jump or something and top it all off with a beer or two and a trip to a football game or a heavy metal concert
June 16th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
“I come from Glasgow were religious stupidity and football go hand in hand.”
HAHAHA! Good One!!!
June 16th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
I rather think that Christianity, particularly Catholicism encourages idolotry, they are rather keen on representative art which is banned outright according to the Ten Commandments. As for banning things on Sunday, this truly demonstrates their ignorance as the Sabbath as defined by YHWH is and always has been Saturday. Christianity adopting Sunday seems to reveal its Pagan origins.
The religious do have good reasons to object to rock music as quite a lot of rock songs do have anti-religious lyrics. One of my fave lines from Blazing Apostles by Be-Bop Deluxe, “Salvation brings a badge to wear on the glad rags of your soul, just keep up with the payments and we’ll make your misery whole”.
June 16th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
Of course, it is never enough for them not to particpate; they have to impose their dumbfuck opinions on the rest of us. I met a religious dimwit yesterday who was whining away about the “amount of football on the television.” I suggested he didn’t watch it. His reply, “But there is so much of it that it is difficult to avoid.”
“Listen to the radio, read a book, you don’t have to watch television.”
Seems he doesn’t listen to the radio, doesn’t like reading and as he has paid his licence fee he is “entitled” to watch television.
In other words, like so many of his ilk, a total plonker. Very ready, of course, to preach about his faith.
June 16th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
…a marathon gaming and horror/action movie DVD marathon maybe get them out doing some extreme sports or get them to do a bungee jump or something and top it all off with a beer or two and a trip to a football game or a heavy metal concert
Other than the beer, that sounds like a nightmare.
But, of course, not as much of a nightmare as living in Somalia. And in the middle of that nightmare people are still willing to risk death at the hands of these maniacs in order to do something as simple and human as watch sport. Good for them.
June 16th, 2010 at 8:17 pm
You mean there is somewhere on the planet not showing football? I’m packing my bags right now.
June 16th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
@Stonyground ; Be- Bop Deluxe, blimey you must be nearly as old as me !
June 17th, 2010 at 9:17 am
@Thornavis & Stonyground, Speaking of be bop – I was reading Bill Nelson’s blog the other day – and he mentions bumping into peter hammill – (perhaps the best lyricist/songwriter of the 20th and 21st centuries – and yet strangley a derby county fan!) They were supporting either Hammill or VdGG, when they were signed to EMI…
http://www.billnelson.com/html/villa/study.php
sorry for being Off topic – being a thrash metal guitarist I do get carried away with all things 70′s rock.
As for the poor twats in somalia who can’t watch the footy – they aren’t missing anything so far. Its been abysmal. They could recreate the experience by putting their heads into a beehive, scattering a handful of subboteo figures onto a field and sit there watching nothing happen for 90 minutes.
June 17th, 2010 at 9:42 am
@shargraves: Van der Graf Generator now, you’re almost making me nostalgic for the Seventies, at least you could enjoy the World Cup in peace in those days without some loony chopping your head off.
I don’t read the Guardian these days if I can avoid it but I do like their Lego World Cup on the website. Saves having to watch the thing as you say.
June 17th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Thornavis, I am fast approaching 52, I could have cited Jethro Tull or ELP instead I suppose, both of whom are still gigging by the way.