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TechnoratiMogadishu Islamists arrest World Cup viewers
In Somalia at least ten people have been arrested by Islamist fighters who accused them of watching the banned screening of the World cup football matches in South Africa.
The Islamist groups imposed a ban on the viewing and screening of the matches in Somalia but local fans have been daring to watch the games at the homes of those who can afford to install satellite dishes.
Unconfirmed reports say that two people were also killed after Islamist fighters stormed a house in Mogadishu as youths were watching live matches from the World Cup in South Africa.
The Islamist factions argued that watching the games or playing them is a waste of money and time and that the sport is a western influence on Somali Muslim society.
Residents in the government-controlled side of the capital Mogadishu freely watch the games in the few cinemas that dare to screen the matches, while others share with relatives and neighbours who have satellite dishes.
Islamists groups who control much of south and centre of Somalia including large swathes of the capital Mogadishu also banned the airing of music by local radio and TV stations.
Football is popular in the war-torn Horn of African country and fans are trying to devise clever ways to work around the ban on the viewing and screening of the game or entertainment in general.
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