The phrases that make up the Adhan, the Muslim call to prayer, are considered sacred and holy by all Muslims, and certain practices are observed whenever the call is heard. When the voice of the Mouadhen (the caller) is heard, it is an accepted norm for everyone that is within audible distance of the call to stop any loud sounds in their proximity. So if, for instance, you're playing music when you hear the Adhan, you are expected to switch it off or if you're watching television, you mute it (usually television in most Muslim countries even interrupts its programming to broadcast the Adhan). Not only are loud sounds frowned upon during the call to prayer, but any fast-paced action is also not allowed, so if you practice sports in Muslim countries, you will notice that during the call players the game will pause, construction on buildings halts, and so on.
With this in mind, you would imagine how most Muslims would feel about a DJ playing a sample of the Adhan in one of their sets to a crowd of drunk revellers at a night club or festival. Back in the early 2000s, a techno track was going around that contained samples of the call to prayer, many of us heard it while clubbing abroad, and although opinions were mixed, no one ever gave it much thought until a DJ visiting Cairo to play at Sakkara Country Club dropped the track - the crowd's response was immediate and harsh.
After minute-long booing by the crowd, the visiting DJ (who we decided to keep anonymous) changed the track and went on with his set. Cairene revellers gossiped about the mishap for a few weeks and it was gone and forgotten shortly after - unlike what went down in Tunisia over the past few days.
Visiting British DJ Dax J has been receiving death threats through his Facebook fan page after a video containing footage of him playing a track sampling the Muslim call to prayer in the El Guitone night club, as part of the Orbit Festival in Nabeul, Tunisia surfaced on Youtube. Government authorities shut down the local club after reviewing the footage, arrested the club's manager under accusations of 'violating good morals and public outrage against modesty'.
The festival publicly apologised and defended the British DJ, stating in a post on their Facebook page that "Dax J did not intend to provoke your anger or offend you." The moment Dax J played the track doesn't seem to show any upset attendees, on the contrary, most people in the video seem to be cheering the DJ on, watch it yourself below.
