Palestinian DJ released by PA after alcohol-fueled mosque party

Abdulhadi was released on bail but cannot leave the country until the conclusion of the investigation.

By David Isaac, World Israel News 

A world-renowned Palestinian DJ Sama Abdulhadi, was released from custody on Sunday by the Palestinian Authority. She had been arrested in the wake of public outrage over a party for which she provided music at a mosque near Jericho.

She was released on bail amounting to 2,000 Jordanian dinars, Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported. She will have to report to the police on a weekly basis until the end of the investigation. She is also barred from leaving the country.

Sama Abdulhadi is an anomaly in the Palestinian Authority, a female DJ artist who has achieved international recognition.

However, Abdulhadi stepped into hot water with local authorities when she DJ’d at the Nebi Musa mosque on  the night of Dec. 26. The mosque appears to be largely abandoned but Palestinians say it’s the burial site of Moses – a claim which contradicts the biblical account.

When word got out about the party, the largely Muslim religious population of the PA expressed anger and Abdulhadi was arrested on Dec. 28.

She had been accused of desecrating the Muslim faith.

After the party, dozens of Palestinians arrived to pray at the site.

“What happened there at Nabi Musa is obscene. We will not remain quiet and will prosecute anyone who took part in it,” said Hussam Abu al-Rub, PA deputy minister for religious affairs.

The party reportedly featured alcohol and the co-mingling of men and women — both of which are forbidden by Islamic religious guidelines.