LONDON: The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council in Lebanon disavowed Sheikh Ali Al-Husseini on Monday for playing a few notes on the keyboard during his appearance on the TV program “Over 18” in early February.

During the program, hosted on Al Jadeed channel, Al-Husseini said that he is always reduced to “the cleric who plays piano” despite studying religion and philosophy for more than 23 years.

Al-Husseini defended art on the program and equated it with existence, citing stories from the Qur’an to support his position.