SUNDAY 27 JULY 2014 •
[email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 inside Kick: Salman COMMUNITY Khan and Sajid • Northwestern alumni, faculty and staff to share insights Nadiadwala kick with high school students up a storm P | 4 P | 8-9 FOOD • Think beyond the slice with refreshing watermelon Once a deadpan radio announcer under the Taliban, Masood Sanjer has gained P | 6 renown for being a thorn in the side of accountability-dodging Afghan officials, WHEELS exemplifying hard-won media freedoms that are at stake in a pivotal year. • BMW’s high-riding compact a fix for empty-nest syndrome P | 7 HEALTH • Parents of obese kids may be more ready to tackle diet than exercise P | 11 TECHNOLOGY • iPhones allow extraction of deep personal data: Expert P | 12 LEARN ARABIC NEW ERA FOR • Learn commonly used Arabic words AFGHAN RADIO and their meanings P | 13 2 PLUS | SUNDAY 27 JULY 2014 COVER STORY Taliban-era radio announcer rides crest of the airwaves by Anuj Chopra municipality of dumping raw sewage in his neighbourhood. nce a deadpan radio announcer “If you see the mayor anywhere could under the Taliban, Masood you please convey that Arman FM radio Sanjer has gained renown for is trying to contact him? He isn’t answer- Obeing a thorn in the side of ing his phone,” Sanjer said, pouting mock- accountability-dodging Afghan officials, ingly. “Is he still asleep?” exemplifying hard-won media freedoms Sanjer was once a mealy-mouthed that are at stake in a pivotal year. announcer at Voice of Sharia, the Taliban’s His radio talk show “Safai Shahar” official mouthpiece during their oppres- (cleaning the city) is something of a sive 1996-2001 rule, cautiously vetting cross between a public helpline and a every word before it fell off his tongue.