Never too late, Arab pop stars raise funds for Darfur

[Scurrilous]

Source: Washington Post

<snip>

"Arab pop stars descended on Khartoum this week to perform concerts to aid war-torn Darfur, in a rare show of solidarity with the millions of Muslims caught in the conflict in western Sudan.

Most of the billions of dollars in aid to fund the world's largest humanitarian operation in Darfur has come from the West. And Arab leaders have been politically more sympathetic with Khartoum, sparking criticism from U.N. officials.

While Hollywood stars have been lobbying for years on Darfur, this was the most high-profile attempt by Arab artists to help those suffering more than four years of conflict between Darfuri rebels and the central government, which has forced 2.5 people million from their homes.

Sudan, under a strict version of Islamic sharia law, rarely enjoys visits from pop artists, and some Islamic scholars protested the week-long set of concerts by stars like Sherine, Hani Shakir, Mounira Hamdi and Mohammad Mounir."





Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/07/AR2007060700826.html

[MrPrax]

1. Maybe they could call the event

"Sudan is Passion" and invite Clinton.

[uppityperson]

2. That would be a very fun concert to go to.

[Igel]

3. Pardon me for being sceptical.

Is the Moroccan organization going to send the folks in to do the building, and are they going to do it in *Fur* areas?

Because the alternatives are that it will be consumed in bribes and kickbacks or wind up in Khartoum's coffers, or go to help the Arabs.

That the Sudanese are objecting isn't heartening. True, the objections are on moral grounds, the dress and music, and this may be the true reason for the objections ... but there's no reason that there can't be two reasons for objecting.