Muslim Clerics Shun Religious Ringtones

Muslim clerics at a leading seminary in India have asked people not to use verses from the Quran as ringtones for their mobile phones, saying the practice was un-Islamic.

Clerics at the Dar-ul Uloom seminary in the northern Indian town of Deoband issued an edict banning the use of Quran verses or Muslim call to prayers as ringtones, saying doing so violates Islamic law.

Quran verses "are not meant for entertainment," seminary official Mohammed Asumin Qazmi said Saturday.

"Anyone who persists in using these should be ostracized from society," Qazmi said by telephone from Saharanpur, a city 280 miles northwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.

Mufti Badru-Hasan, a leading cleric in Lucknow, said he supported a ban on such ringtones.

"One should hear the complete verse of the Quran with a pious mind and in silence. If it is used as a ringtone, a person is bound to switch on the mobile, thus truncating the verse halfway," he said. "This is an un-Islamic act."

Ringtones with Quran verses or the call to prayers are popular among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state.

They are most commonly used by people in their mid-40s and 50s, said Mukesh Sinha, a mobile phone company executive.

Many users consider the religious tunes a reminder of their faith.

Bank manager Faiz Siddaqui uses Quran verses as a ringtone.

"Whenever my phone rings, I hear these verses that stress the values of hard work and honesty, and I feel closer to my religion," Siddaqui said.