Female finalist in Afghanistan's 'Pop Idol' angers traditionalists

In a first for post-Taliban Afghanistan, a woman from the conservative Pashtun belt is one of the top three contenders in the country's version of Pop Idol.

Conservatives decry the fact that an Afghan woman has found success singing on television, but Lima Sahar brushes off her critics, saying there can be no progress without upsetting the status quo. "No pain, no gain," she said yesterday.

Lima Sahar performing in the 'Afghan Star' contest

Sahar beat 2,000 other hopefuls who auditioned for the third season of Afghan Star. The six-month-long television show will name the final two contestants, based on votes sent in from viewers via text message, tomorrow. The winner will take home about £2,500.

Afghanistan's cleric's council has protested to President Hamid Karzai over Afghan Star and Indian dramas shown on Tolo TV, the country's most popular station. Ali Ahmad Jebra-ali, a council member, said: "In the situation we have in Afghanistan right now, we don't need a woman singer. We don't need Afghan Star. We are in need of a good economy, good education. If Lima Sahar wins Afghan Star, how can she help the poor? This is not the way to help the Afghan people."

Haji Baran Khan, a farmer from Kandahar – the Taliban's spiritual birthplace and the city Sahar now calls home – said a Pashtun girl singing on television goes against the country's culture. "She is also affecting the minds of other good girls. She should stop singing," he said.

But Sahar says she is just the latest in a long tradition of Afghan artists. "Artists are historical and cultural in our country. Artists have been around a long time," she said. "I came by the vote of the people of Afghanistan."

Hundreds of supporters lined up to get the three finalists' autographs in Kabul this week. One of the fans, Shohabidin Mohammad, commented: "Women's and men's rights are equal. There are no problems."

The finalists represent each of Afghanistan's three main ethnic groups: Pashtuns, Hazaras and Tajiks. Mohammad, who is Hazara, said he does not believe ethnicity should play a role in the vote. But, he acknowledged sheepishly, he will vote for the Hazara finalist.

A Sahar fan, Nematullah Khan, who is a 25-year-old student at Kandahar University, said: "Sahar took a bold step. She has a lot of courage. Whether she wins or not, she's a good example for our youth."

The other finalists are Hameed Sakhizada, a 21-year-old Hazara, and the favourite, Rafi Naabzada, a 19-year-old Tajik. He said: "Afghan Star belongs to all Afghans. My idea is not to get votes from just my tribe. I think that attitude is now finished – he's a Tajik or he's a Pashtun."

But Mohammad Qasim Akhger, a political analyst, does not believe that, and singled out Sahar as lacking talent. "Now there is one Pashtun, one Hazara and one Tajik, so now what will happen is that nobody will care about their talents, they will just vote for their tribe. If Sahar is not talented enough, it doesn't matter for them [Pashtuns]. They are just voting because she is Pashtun," he explained.

And what do women think of it? One female fan, Shabana, said she was supporting Naabzada. Would she vote for a woman? "Yes," she said. "But on condition that she has talent."