British DJ Dax J has been sentenced in absentia to a year in jail by a Tunisian court after generating massive backlash for playing a track that featured a 20-second sample of the Muslim call to prayer at a recent festival.
As BBC reports, the London-born, Berlin-based performer was charged with — and found guilty of — public indecency and offending public morality. The conviction, which was handed down after Dax J had left the country, will stand for the next five years, effectively banning him from returning until it lapses.
The DJ has returned to social media following his self-imposed exile to offer his "deepest apologies to anyone who has been offended" by his use of the sample.
"I am incredibly saddened that anyone would believe that I played a track, featuring a 20-second vocal of the 'Call To Prayer/Adhan', for any reason other than its musicality and the beauty of the vocal," he wrote.
"As a result of this unfortunate and unintentional incident, yesterday in my absence and without notice, I was convicted in the Tunisian courts and sentenced to 1 year in prison. I am currently back in Europe and this conviction in place will expire in 5 years."
Dax J went on to explain that he has "the upmost [sic] respect for all religions across the globe and I can now understand how my recent actions could have been perceived in the wrong way".
He had previously deleted his Facebook and Twitter accounts after facing widespread criticism over the use of the sample, including persistent death threats.
Similar charges against the organisers of the Orbit Festival event and the manager of the nightclub in which Dax J was playing have been dismissed, despite appeals from the prosecution.
