The Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism announced on Thursday that it has been following up on the circulation of “Quranic songs”, which have taken an extreme form of reciting the verses of the Holy Quran through AI-generated music of western origin, culture, and performance.
This phenomenon falsely claims to encourage “innovation” in presenting Quranic stories, the statement said, and is being promoted through anonymous social media accounts.
The Observatory stressed, in a statement, that the Quran is the word of Allah and that it is forbidden by Sharia to read it accompanied by music in any form.
Al-Azhar’s statement warned against the wave of insults to the Holy Quran and Muslims, and contempt for religions, which began with systematic campaigns to burn and tear up the Quran.
It stressed that the emergence of this musical form of the Quran indicates a complete disregard for what Allah has taught in the Holy Quran regarding authentic recitation and intonation.
The statement also called for “Taking the initiative to enact laws to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in dealing with religious texts and sanctities, to ward off temptations and corruption.”
The statement concluded: “The Observatory calls upon the esteemed legislative authority in Egypt to confront this phenomenon through laws that confront contempt for religions.”
