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Islamists seize Somali women because they were ululating

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Summary of story from allAfrica.com, June 8, 2011

A group of around 15 Somali women have been seized by radical Islamists, who accused the women of ululating at a wedding.

Somalia militants loyal to al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist group that opposes the country’s transitional government, seized the women in Afgoye district in the Lower Shabelle region, about 30km south of Mogadishu.

Residents said that the women were taken to a detention centre and have been charged with “public expression of joy”, which the Islamists prohibit.

Ululation is very popular among Somali women, especially in the southern and central regions, where songs and dances known as baraanbur are used to celebrate weddings and other occasions.

On Monday, Al-Shabaab also seized 10 boys in the Afgoye-Mogadishu corridor, a place where most of the people who fled the war in Mogadishu found shelter. The youngsters were accused of playing football, which the Islamists prohibited in May.

If sentenced, it is believed that the women and the boys may get a fine, jail sentence or public disciplining, such as flogging.

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