Lebanese Islamic cleric hints that courts are not the place for religious issues

The chairman of the higher Shiite council in Lebanon, Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi Shamseddine, has made a "Sharia opinion" on singing verses of the Koran and the possibility of using the Koran in prose and poetry.

This was expressed in Sheikh Shamseddine's replies to several inquiries and questions recently raised following the judicial decision taken against the popular Lebanese singer Marcel Khalife alleging that the singer used part of prophet Youssef (a "Sourah" sung to music).

Sheikh Shamseddine said that converting the Koranic text into a sung piece, the Sharia's role is to categorically prevent such singing, because such a taboo is indicated in the holy Koran and the Sunnah.

Sheikh Shamseddine stressed that there is no connection between singing and "civilization" progress or converting the Koranic text into a sung material.

On his opinion in taking the case of singer Marcel Khaleifa to the court, Sheikh Shamseddine said, "I do not expect the case to go to court. Our task, being a religious reference, is to teach the Islamic jurisprudence in this respect."