ISIS Militants Attack Music in Burning of 'Un-Islamic' Drums and Other Instruments in Libya

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Thursday, February 19, 2015

Following the gruesome beheading of 21 Coptic Christians captured on video and released for all the world to see recently, Islamic State militants in Libya released more evidence of their continued rash of extreme behavior this week in photos depicting the burning of "un-Islamic" musical instruments in the north African country.

The Daily Mail reported Wednesday that the photos were released by the local "media wing" of the terrorists group and shows the burning of musical instruments near the port city of Derna in eastern Libya. A message that came with the release said the instruments were seized by the religious police in the city of Derna and "burnt in accordance with Islamic law."

Akhtarul Wasey, a professor and director of the Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, explained in a New York Times blog from Feb. 5, 2013, that while he wasn't sure if there was any passage in the Quran explicitly stating that it's un-Islamic to listen to or play music, religious scholars have long asserted that the practice is un-Islamic.

"This debate about validity of listening and learning music has been going on for centuries in Islamic society. Religious leaders are of the view that this is lust, which turns you away from social and religious responsibilities," said Husain.

"For a religious leader, whether it's listening to or learning music, it's not permissible inside or outside your house. The overwhelming majority of Islamic scholars are against music," he added.