DJ Sentenced to a Year in Jail for Remixing Muslim Call to Prayer at a Tunisian Club

A Tunisian court has sentenced British DJ Dax J to one year in prison on charges of public indecency and offending public morality after he played a dance remix of the traditional Muslim call to prayer.

According to Billboard magazine, since Dax J was out of the country at the time the charges were pressed, it’s possible he won’t see any jail time.

The Berlin-based DJ played a set at the Orbit Festival, which ran from March 31–April 2 in Tunisia. During his set, Dax J played a dance version of the call to prayer. Footage of the set was shared on social media, prompting outrage and causing a Tunisian governor to shut down the nightclub that hosted the festival.

The BBC reports that Dax J has given “sincere apologies to anyone who may have been offended by music that I played at Orbit Festival in Tunisia on Friday.”

Orbit Festival also offered an apology via a Facebook post written in French.

From Billboard:

“Dax J did not intend to provoke your anger or offend you. It is clear, after his apologies, that Dax J is sincere and has no reason to hurt our dear festival-goers. We do not want to interfere in religious debates. Away from us the idea of tarnishing the image of Islam, which remains a religion of peace and forgiveness. So my friends, forgive, and don’t forget that the music is the answer.”

The Tunisian government, it seems, would beg to differ.