This article analyses discussions about music in the new public sphere of the Arab world. First, it focuses on what states do to control musical expressions and what functions religious actors have in that control. Four cases are looked into: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. Then the article discusses theological arguments, in the public sphere, about music. The theologians are divided into three positions: moderates, hard-liners and liberals. It is argued that structural changes of the public sphere-especially with regards to new media and consumer culture-have caused a heated debate about music and morality. While hard-liners and moderates engage in a discussion about the legal and the forbidden in Islam, liberals stress the importance of allowing competing norms. Examples of extremist violence against musicians is discussed and contextualised.The moral implications of music have come under discussion again in the Arab world 1 during recent decades as the 'soundscapes' of everyday life have changed. Video clips with the latest songs flood the TV-channels of the Arab world. Directors consciously balance on the limits of the accepted spurring debates in media and on the Arab street on morality, sexuality, the purpose of art but also the halal and the haram of music and musical instruments. At the same time, a consumer-oriented youth culture, borrowing from global cultural flows, changes local conditions. New Cont Islam (
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