A video clip of Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad, the ceremonial leader of Muslims in the state, apparently enjoying an evening of Kashmiri ghazals, musical poems, and Punjabi folk tunes, quickly went viral on YouTube as political leaders accused him of hypocrisy.
"The doublespeak of the Mufti of Jammu and Kashmir is exposed, on the issue of music being un-Islamic," said Digvijaya Singh, general secretary of India's ruling Congress Party. "All religious fundamentalists are experts of doublespeak."
In February an all-girl rock group in Kashmir was forced to disband amid threats from Islamic militants, following the Grand Mufti's statement.
He had proclaimed: "Singing is not in accordance with Islamic teachings. Society cannot be built or developed by doing un-Islamic acts like singing. » | Dean Nelson, New Delhi | Sunday, July 28, 2013
