Bahrain detains student and teachers over recitation of Quran to music

Bahrain's public prosecutor has charged two teachers and a high school student with insulting Islam after discovering a video showing the student reciting Quranic verses to music, state news agency BNA reported on Wednesday (11 March).

According to local media reports, the video showed the student reciting verses from the Quran while a teacher played a musical instrument in the background.

The recitation of the Holy Quran, known as 'Tajweed', is governed by several pronunciation rules.

While the intonation of Quranic verses is commonly permitted in Muslim countries and recordings of chanting are commonly heard on the radio and television, accompanying them with musical instruments has often come under criticism by conservatives.

After investigating the video thoroughly, the Ministry of Education discovered the school had entered a Quran recitation competition, which is commonly held for children in the Muslim world.

Shortly after, the public prosecution questioned the student along with two teachers.

Prosecutor Adnan Fakhro said in a statement that authorities have questioned "the student who sang and the two teachers who trained him on the song and played music."

"The public prosecution ... charged them with violating the Islamic religion and insulting its rituals," reported Reuters.

"It also ordered them detained protectively over the case."

The trio are being held until further investigation.

Despite having more liberal laws than its neighbouring Saudi Arabia, Bahrain still encourages several religious and conservative norms.

The Shi'ite majority kingdom ruled by a Sunni Muslim dynasty has seen a surge in small-scale unrest since 2011 with Shi'ite protesters calling for a better representation in the government.