Music ban ill fits Islam

Sir, While the militant faction that has seized power in Mogadishu is determined to impose its authority on war-torn Somalia, it cannot claim scriptural legitimacy for its stringent application of Sharia (report, June 11).

Its prohibition of music, for example, has no foundation in the Koran. In Islam, the incontrovertible rule is that whatever is not expressly disallowed by God in the holy book is permissible. When Sheikh Ahmed (and other ultra-conservative Muslim clerics) claim that music is forbidden, they cannot provide any valid Koranic verses to this effect. They cite secondary and spurious prophetic traditions (hadith), which were assembled some 250 years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad.

However, all the accepted principles of Islam must be derived from the immutable divine source and not from fabricated human collections of hadith. Sacred music, spiritual songs and devotional chanting (as well as other uplifting genres) all have a legitimate place within Islam when they enhance faith and spirituality.