Iraq Takes Legal Action against Singer for Quran Desecration

IQNA – Iraqi authorities have initiated legal proceedings against an Iraqi singer for distorting verses from the Quran during a performance, an act that has sparked outrage on social media.

Iraq's Ministry of Interior Committee for Combating Immoral Content announced it is taking legal measures against singer Jalal al-Zein for his desecration of the Holy Book, Shafaq News reported.

The news agency quoted an informed source on Sunday as saying that the committee has undertaken these legal steps due to al-Zein’s actions during a concert.

“Al-Zein recited verses from Surah Al-Falaq and distorted its words under the pretext of simile,” the source said, adding that Iraqi bloggers and social media users have widely condemned the act as an insult and desecration of the Holy Quran.

This case is part of a broader legal context in Iraq. Since February 2023, Iraqi authorities have taken legal actions, including issuing arrest warrants, against several individuals accused of publishing inappropriate content. To manage such reports, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior launched a platform called “Balagh” (Report), which has received thousands of complaints.

The incident touches on international laws concerning religious insult. Globally, blasphemy laws, which criminalize insulting or showing disrespect to sanctities and sacred things or figures, exist in numerous countries.

According to a Pew Research Center report cited in the source, approximately a quarter of the world’s countries and territories (26%) had anti-blasphemy laws or policies in place as of 2014 .

As of 2012, around 33 countries had some form of anti-blasphemy legislation, 21 of which were Muslim-majority nations, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, the UAE, and Western Sahara.

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