Iraq Faces Ban On "Music For Pleasure'

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the "moderate' Shia leader widely tipped as Iraq's next leader, is hoping to outlaw recreational music, The Independent reported this week.

The Ayatollah hopes to introduce Sharia law into the country, the paper said, with far reaching consequences for Iraqi society.

"Once he assumes control, chess will be forbidden, likewise women will not be allowed to shake hands with men," said leading British columnist Richard Ingrams (writing in the Observer about the report). "Men will be forbidden to say their prayers while wearing earrings. Music will only be permitted "if it is not for enjoyment'.

12 months previously Mohammed Fartusi, the mullah of Baghdad's biggest mosque al-Heqma, publicly branded discoteques "symbols of western influence' and also called for singing and dancing to be banned.
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• Iraq