Iraq militia stone youths to death for "emo" style

[redrumloa]

"Emo" is a form of punk music developed in the United States. Fans are known for their distinctive dress, often including tight jeans, T-shirts with logos and distinctive long or spiky haircuts.

 

[metalman]

the killings appear to have been carried out by extremist Shia militias in mostly poor Shia neighborhoods.

 

[cecilia]

 

[cecilia]

and my personal favorite:

 

[the_leander]

There is some hope:

Iraq's leading Shi'ite clerics have condemned the stonings.

Abdul-Raheem al-Rikabi, Baghdad representative for Iraq's most influential Shi'ite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, called the killings "terrorist attacks".

Who would have thought that such a thing would be uttered!

"Such a phenonomenon which has spread among young people should be tackled through dialogue and peaceful means and not through physical liquidation," Rikabi told Reuters.

Perhaps if people talked more, and you know, actually found out what it was about, there would be less space for the fringe lunatics to gather momentum. Hopefully that is what Rikabi has in mind.

Further down the link:

"I saw them a couple weeks ago ... a bunch of girls, high-school aged, walking together, dressed in black. They had long black eye makeup and bracelets with skulls and chains on their handbags with skulls," said Abdullah, 31.

"If they are close friends who have something in common, that's all right. If other things we hear about them are true, like sucking each other's blood or worshipping the devil, that is not accepted in our society. But I think this is just a trend to imitate the West."

I've heard this before. Usually from religious nutbars it has to be said.

In fact, the last time I heard such a line it was in conjunction with the person condemning Harry Potter as being indicative of witchcraft.

The first and last lines are however somewhat comforting and hopefully indicative of general opinion.