The first time Late Ustad Bismillah Khan overcame his fear for air travel was for a visit to an Islamic country for pilgrimage. During his stay there, India’s Shahnai maestro—a devout Muslim, was confronted by a group of clerics for humming a raga at the camp in the evening. They said music was un-Islamic. Ustad Bismillah Khan stayed calm. For a reply, he sang the Aazaan in Raag Bhairavi. “Allah ko pukara hai Raag Bhairavi mein, (I just offered an invocation to Allah in Raag Bhairavi),” he said before his critics showered him with apologies. Decades ago maestros like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Baba Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Ustad Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Ustad Vilayat Khan and others taught, appreciated and supported Muslim women artistes in spite of the taboos . The banning of the Kashmir-based all women’s band Pragaash in the name of religion and ethics poses several questions. Are the Islamic hardliners in Kashmir against music in general? Or are they against women musicians? Noma Nazrim, Aneeqa and Farah’s journey into music has been nipped in the bud. But, it can be a beginning.