Lebanese Pop Star Denied Visa To Canada Due To Homophobic Song

Mohamad Eskandar’s recent song “Ded El Enf” and its associated video denounce male homosexuals and appear to encourage fathers to beat their gay sons. When Eskandar’s plans for a three-city Canadian tour became public, a Montreal human rights group began a protest campaign that eventually led Immigration Canada to deny the singer entry to the country.

Turkish Town Requires Ramadan Drummers To Pass Exam

During the holy month, “Turks are roused before sunrise daily by an army of drummers noisily celebrating the arrival of the Sahur: the last meal for pious Muslims before they begin the daylight fast.” But authorities in the town of Isparta, “believing that standards for this 500-year-old tradition have been slipping,” have instituted a licensing test for the singing percussionists.