24 March 2010

Female poet uses 'Arabic Idol' to attack Muslim clerics

A veiled female poet has used verse to lash out at hard-line Muslim clerics on live television during the popular Arabic version of "American Idol." In The Million's Poet programme, competitors battle it out to impress a panel of judges with traditional Arabic poems, not pop songs.

But instead of choosing an ode to the beauty of Bedouin life, Hissa Hilal, only her eyes visible through her black veil, delivered a blistering attack on Muslim preachers "who sit in the position of power" but are "frightening" people with their fatwas, or religious edicts, and "preying like a wolf" on those seeking peace. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more