Saudis are banned from voting for Star Academy
Saudi Arabia, Politics, 1/12/2005

The main company in charge of operating mobile telephone in Saudi Arabia has prevented its clients from voting by messages in a famous TV program for songs competition under the allegations that these messages are a violation of the values of the Muslim society of the kingdom.

The Saudi telecommunications company said on Tuesday that it banned its clients from sending messages on the mobile telephones and voting for their best singer in "Star Academy" program which is broadcast by an of the Arab (Lebanese) TV station.

The spokesman for the company Saad Zafer said "we do feel that the program does not comply with the values and culture of Saudi Arabia. Social and economic surveys we had conducted in our markets revealed that our clients want us to work according to these values." But he added that viewers in the kingdom can vote by using land telephone.

However, that program has attracted large audience in the area, however depicting young girls and boys dancing and singing raised the anger of scholars in Saudi Arabia.

In "Star Academy" program a group of young Arab men from various parts of the Arab world live together in one house and their daily life is depicted at a time when they are competing to get a contract for recording their songs.

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