Beirut – Arab Today
Lebanese authorities have banned songs by retired singer Fadl Shaker from being broadcast on television and radio. Following clashes between supporters of Salafist militant Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir and government forces; the singer appeared in a short video standing over two dead soldiers expressing his pride over killing them. Born to a Palestinian mother and Lebanese father in the country’s largest refugee camp; Shaker began his career as a popular wedding singer and went to become a household name. In his prime, many of his songs -which have a distinct romantic and sad undertone, were instant hits. A former musician friend said, \"Poverty during a miserable childhood is what caused lead him down a darker path in his later life.\" Shaker and al-Assir are being sought as part of a large-scale manhunt to track down all the militia involved in the attacks.