Islam scholars treat song broadcast from minarets in Makhachkala as inappropriate

The message that Dagestanis are unhappy with the broadcast of military songs from the loudspeakers installed on mosque minarets in Dagestan arrived on May 11 at the SMS service of the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that this year the Victory Day passed in Russia under the cancellation of mass events. However, on the initiative of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), the loudspeakers installed on mosque minarets in Makhachkala broadcasts songs of the war years.

The action of song broadcast has violated the fasting held by many Muslims, said Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Centre for Caucasian Studies at the MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations).

"From mosque minarets, the sounds of Adhan should he heard – a call for a mandatory namaz (prayer). However, the MfE had concluded an agreement with the Muftiate about the use of minaret loudspeakers during emergencies. The clergy agreed to this, because they thought that loudspeakers could be used in such emergency cases, but there was no point that they could be used for songs. Besides, the holy month of Ramadan is now, when Muslims are fasting; and music in Islam is perceived very disapprovingly, especially by orthodox believers. This is treated as entertainment; and you can't listen to music during fasting, as music can disrupt the process. Therefore, the MfE's was criticized by believers," Mr Yarlykapov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Mikhail Roschin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) has treated the MfE's initiative as "strange."

"I don't remember anything similar in Muslim regions of the Russian Federation. This is something new, some kind of know-how of the Dagestani MfE; and it has justly caused believers' discontent. It is customary that only a call to prayer sounds from mosque minarets, not songs. It was a strange and a rather ridiculous action. Even in Soviet times this never happened," Mr Roschin told the "Caucasian Knot".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 11, 2020 at 09:49 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.