"Music is not allowed in Islam", says Faik Rustemi, 23, in an interview with SVT-reporter Magnus Wennerholm. Faik Rustemi is a member of the youth organisation, TUFF, based in Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city.

In a one hour TV documentary entitled ‘Reportage: Så motarbetas integrationen’ (“Report: In this way integration is obstructed”) Magnus Wennerholm spoke to a number of Muslims in Sweden, fundamentalists as well as moderates, about Islam and integration. A particular focus was put on ‘Salafis’, who are devoted to a very strict interpretation of Islam and have very tight connections to the Wahabi interpretation of Islam that dominates Saudi Arabia.

The TV crew filmed how a group of young Salafi men – all with long beards, Arabic jallabiya shirts and trousers which do not cover the ankles – blocked the roads around a concert hall in a suburb of Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city.

With threatening remarks, the Salafi believers attempted to prevent people attending a party organised by young people of Somali background. It wasn't until Swedish police arrived and ordered the men to leave the place, did the young people dare to enter the concert hall.

Produced by SVT’s most prestigious documentary team 'Uppdrag granskning', a tv-reviewer at the Swedish daily, Expressen, wrote that the documentary was "the most important TV programme of the year".

The SVT documentary shows the Salafi group obstructing a Swedish-Somali music event



Munajjid: Music is forbidden

In Arabic the word “Salaf” means “predecessors” (or ancestors) and refers to the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad, the early Muslims who followed them, and the scholars of the first three generations of Muslims. They are also called Al-Salaf Al-Salih or "the Righteous Predecessors".

The religious ban on music is promoted by Muslim scholars in Saudi Arabia such as Shaykh Munajjid who runs an “Islam Question & Answer” website which declares that music – even ring tones on mobile phones – are totally forbidden according to Islam. ("It is not permissible to use musical tunes for telephones or any other devices, because listening to musical instruments is haram, as is indicated by the evidence of sharee’ah.") In the documentary, Magnus Wennerholm shows Faik Rustemi as a close follower of Shaykh Munajjid, and has translated and used many of Munajjid’s statements.

A quote from another (presently defunct) Swedish website, Muslimer.com, is included in the documentary: “Some people gather on Eid with the purpose of singing and other sorts of unnecessary entertainment, and this is not allowed”.


Shut the radio off

The SVT team visits the school Al-Salam Skolan in Örebro which receives funds from Saudi Arabia. They interview the former head master, Elisabeth Söderling, who says that she thought it was insane that listening to radio was banned - she wasn’t even allowed to listen to a news channel because of its jingles.

Reporter Magnus Wennerholm, researcher Per Brinkemo and editor Kenny Adersjö have been working on the documentary since October 2005. After the programme had been broadcast on Swedish television they were chatting and debating with viewers who showed an unusually high interest, sending in around 1,700 questions and comments.

The subject is discussed on numerous webpages and debate forums. On the website Sindbad.se which is one of the largest of its kind in Sweden, a school pupil takes on the advice that he should “play hookie” from the music lessons in school. A few quotes from the website:

Written by ibn Shahzad on Saturday Oct 16, 2004 21:31
Salamuelykom brothers and sisters!
It is not allowed to listen to music. Does this mean you are breaking the rules when you participate in the subject in school? If I don’t attend, I will get lower marks, and I want high marks. What should I do? Should I go to the music lessons or…?
Your little brother Sayed

Written by Gäst on Sunday Oct 17, 2004 15:00
Asalaamu3alikum!
My advice to you is that make an end to attending the music classes (even though that I would have wished I myself had listened to my own advice here, I attended around 10 percent of the music lessons but Alhamdulillah I managed to get even a G in the subject) …
I understand that you want the best marks, but what is better, to be prosperous in this live, or in the next one and obtaining the mercy of Allah. (…)
So inshaAllah and may Allah strengthen your imaan amiin

In beginning of 2006, the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan published a special theme report on “prohibitions in Islam”. Among other articles, they published an interview with two young Muslim teenagers based in Malmö who say that there is an increased pressure on Muslim women to refrain from dancing and playing music, because it is forbidden.