Artists become targets in rising atmosphere of intolerance

Local artists, actors and singers, who have tried to bring smiles to the faces of children living in deteriorating conditions, have been targeted by insurgents and militias who accuse them of indulging in un-Islamic activities. “Artists are being threatened and killed because they want to change the reality of the country by helping people forget all the violence and death,” said Said Kareem, senior official for the Iraqi Artists Association in the capital, Baghdad. Some fundamentalist Muslim insurgents say that music is un-Islamic, and that people should only listen to verses from the Quran, the Islamic holy book. Acting, theatre and television, they say, tend to encourage bad behaviour and irreligious attitudes. “Artists are being accused of promoting customs that affect the morality of traditional society,” said Kareem. Nearly 80 Iraqis working in artistic professions have been killed since 2005, he added, while many acting troupes and performers have halted their work from fear that they could be the next victim of violence. On 22 April, two young actors were killed in Baghdad by a local militia for entertaining children through a television programme that works with students in the capital. The actors, 20 year-old Faud Radi and 21 year-old colleague Haidar Jawad of the “Happy Family Team” theatrical group, were killed after receiving previous threats. “They warned us by leaving threatening notes in the van that we use for our work,” said Safa’a Eadi, another member of the group. However, the attack has failed to intimidate the acting troupe, and members say they plan to continue working. “We’ll continue our performances for the happiness of the children,” said Eadi defiantly. Other local entertainers, however, say their line of work has become too risky. “I used to live for the theatre,” said Yussef Ghadin, a local actor and singer. “Now, though, after two of our colleagues were killed by a local militia for working a ‘devil’s job’, I have to put this dream aside.”