In a new column for Rolling Stone MENA, Felicity unpacks the use of nasheeds (Islamic devotional songs) as prosecution evidence in criminal trials, particularly those involving offences under anti-terrorism laws.
Nasheeds have been used to establish ideological alignment with extremist groups, or to show an accused person’s level of engagement with extremist narratives. However, the probative value of nasheeds as evidence needs to be carefully assessed, as they can be easily misinterpreted or used unfairly, particularly against Muslim youth who may not even speak the language in the song.
