When the song 'Get Lucky' is inappropriate only in Ramazan

It's like saying smoking should be banned during Ramazan because it tarnishes the soul’s purity - hypocrisy at is...

Around a week ago, as I was listening to the radio while weaving my way through Pindi’s traffic en route to work, an interesting development caught me by surprise. The radio jockey announced the song ‘Get Lucky’ by Daft Punk had been requested but that some listeners called in demanding that it not be played because the lyrics were ‘too inappropriate to be heard during Ramazan.’

The song, which still remains a hit among youth the world over, was not played.

For starters, the logic behind the decision was baffling. Ever since the song was released some two months ago, it has been a constant hit on this show. Why, then, were objections only raised on its inappropriateness only in Ramazan?

If those people who found the lyrics to be unsuitable are frequent listeners of the station, then it begs the question why complaints were not registered before the Holy month and the song subsequently taken off air.

Perhaps, some may have found the lyrics, “we're up all night to get lucky” in Ramazan offensive. However, finding it inappropriate in Ramazan, but perfectly acceptable the rest of the year reflects on our own selfish, superficial ways. Will not listening to 'Get Lucky' in Ramazan earn us some extra brownie points? And I'm not saying it won't, but if it will, stick to it for the entire year.

What happened to consistency?

This is akin to saying that smoking should be banned during Ramazan because it tarnishes the soul’s ‘purity,’ but permitted through the rest of the year.

A select group of people cannot be allowed to dictate what others should or shouldn’t listen to on their radio stations. If people had problems with the song, they could just have easily switched to any of the wide array of options at their disposal by simply pressing a button. This situation reminds me of the earlier ban on YouTube, brought about due to similar concerns. The authorities concerned need to allow for individual freedoms.

When we have resorted to repression and hypocrisy in the past, the results have been there for all to see. Take 2010, for example, when the death knell for any semblance of global respect for Pakistan was sounded, after the country was notoriously tagged as number one in the world in pornographic internet searches.

If we continue to set dangerous precedents, I’m afraid our future generations will be treading a long, narrow path.