Pop Culture in Islam
Sorry to continue this debate but this article by sister Yvonne is brilliant. Be warned, she does mention SY by name.
Pop Culture in the Name of Islam
YVONNE RIDLEY
Monday, April 24, 2006
I FEEL very uncomfortable about the pop culture which is growing around some so-called Nasheed artists. Of course I use the term 'Nasheed artists' very lightly. Islamic 'boy bands' and Muslim 'popsters' would probably be more appropriate.
Eminent scholars throughout history have often opined that music is haram, and I don't recall reading anything about the Sahaba whooping it up to the sound of music. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for people letting off steam, but in a dignified manner and one which is appropriate to their surroundings.
The reason I am expressing concern is that just a few days ago at a venue in Central London, sisters went wild in the aisles as some form of pop-mania swept through the concert venue. And I'm not just talking about silly, little girls who don't know any better; I am talking about sisters in their 20's, 30's and 40's, who squealed, shouted, swayed and danced. Even the security guys who looked more like pipe cleaners than bulldozers were left looking dazed and confused as they tried to stop hijabi sisters from standing on their chairs. Of course the stage groupies did not help at all as they waved and encouraged the largely female Muslim crowd to "get up and sing along." (They're called 'Fluffers' in lap-dancing circles!)
The source of all this adulation was British-born Sami Yusuf, who is so proud of his claret-colored passport that he wants us all to wave the Union Jacks. I'm amazed he didn't encourage his fans to sing "Land of Hope and Glory." Brother Sami asked his audience to cheer if they were proud to be British ,and when they responded loudly, he said he couldn't hear them and asked them to cheer again.
How can anyone be proud to be British? Britain is the third most hated country in the world. The Union Jack is drenched in the blood of our brothers and sisters across Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine. Our history is steeped in the blood of colonialism, rooted in slavery, brutality, torture, and oppression. And we haven't had a decent game of soccer since we lifted the World Cup in 1966.
Apparently Sami also said one of the selling points of Brand UK was having Muslims in the Metropolitan Police Force! Astafur'Allah! Dude, these are the same cops who have a shoot-to-kill policy and would have gunned down a Muslim last year if they could tell the difference between a Bangladeshi and a Brazilian. This is the same police force that has raided more than 3000 Muslim homes in Britain since 9/11. What sort of life is there on Planet Sami, I wonder? If he is so proud to be British, why is he living in the great Middle Eastern democracy of Egypt?
Apparently the sort of hysteria Sami helped encourage is also in America, and if it is happening on both sides of the Atlantic, then it must be creeping around the globe and poisoning the masses. Islamic boy bands like 786 and Mecca 2 Medina are also the subject of the sort of female adulation you expect to see on American Pop Idol or the X-Factor. Surely Islamic events should be promoting restrained and more sedate behavior.
Do we blame the out-of-control sisters? Or do we blame the organizers for allowing this sort of excessive behavior which demeans Islam? Or do we blame the artists themselves?
Abu Ali and Abu Abdul Malik, struggling for their Deen, would certainly not try to whip up this sort of hysteria. Neither would the anonymous heroic Nasheed artists who sing for freedom; check out Idhrib Ya Asad Fallujah, and you will know exactly what I mean.
Fallujah is now synonymous with the sort of heroic resistance that elevated the Palestinians of Jenin to the ranks of the resistance written about in the Paris Communeand the Siege of Leningrad. The US military has banned the playing of any Nasheeds about Fallujah because of the power and the passion it evokes.
If those Nasheeds had sisters running in the streets whooping and dancing, however, the Nasheeds may be encouraged because of haram activity surrounding them.
Quite frankly, I really don't know how anyone in the Ummah can really let go and scream and shout with joy at pleasure domes when there is so much brutality and suffering going on in the world today.
The rivers of blood flow freely from the veins of our brothers and sisters from across the Muslim world. Screaming and shouting the names of musical heroes drown out the screams coming from the dungeons of Uzbekistan where brothers and sisters are boiled alive in vats of water.
How many will jump up and down and wave their arms in the air, shouting wildly for justice for our kin in Kashmir, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq? There are many more killing fields as well across the Asian and Arab world. Will you climb on theater chairs and express your rage over Guantanamo Bay and other gulags where our brothers and sisters are being tortured, raped, sodomized, beaten, and burned?
Or will you just switch off this concerned sister and switch on to the likes of Sami Yusuf because he can sell you a pipe dream with his soothing words and melodic voice?
Oh, Muslims, wake up! The Ummah is not bleeding; it is hemorrhaging.Listen not to what is haram. Listen to the pain of your global family.
posted by Abu Abdullah @ 8:40 a.m.
9 comments
9 Comments:
Salaam
I would like to mention from the outset that I know Yvonne on a professional level and I have no intention of disparaging her as a person.
As much as i agree that these nasheed concerts should have a more restrained atmosphere, it doesn't mean that nasheeds or the listening to them in a concert setting is wrong. The singing of nasheeds has been justified by such great ulema as Imam Ghazzali, Hazrat Moiuddin Chisthi, Shaykh Bahuddin Naqshband, Data Ganj Baksh to name a few. They also imposed strict conditions on how they should be listened to, to achieve spiritual elevation from them.
The other issue is an attitude taken by some Muslims that the suffering of the Muslim ummah should take up our every waking thought. Don't get me wrong I am as every much as concerned about Palestine, Iraq and Chechnya as the next brother. However politics and political struggle is one dimension of Islam, not it's entirety. When the Mujahideen laid seige to Bani Qurayda they read dhikr all night. The Prophet (SAWS) watched martial arts displays in the Mosque along with Lady Aisha (RA) and listened to singers on the Eid day. The Prophet (PBUH) was famously welcomed into Medina by singers playing the duff.
The Prophet (SAWS) emphasised balance in deen, giving time to all aspects of life- spiritual, political, social, family, societal, intellectual and emotional. I fear we as a community are actually over politicised in many ways. That is why nasheed concerts are a good way to bring some spiritual release. Though again with the proviso that they are conducted in the proper manner.
Hmmm, there is absolutely nothing spiritual about these concerts.
If it is intended or has the effect of drumming up Britishness - it is wrong
If it is intended or has the effect of exiting silly girls (& boys) - it is wrong
Personally, i feel that these gatherings are a waste of time, i dont feel that anything is achieved or learnt(except ticket revenue, which MAY be for good causes)
Jazaka Allah Khair brother Ismaeel
I think the fear is where all this is going - fine, nasheeds per se are ok but many of the anasheed artists go far beyond using the simple and allowed duff. String instruments are being used more and more in an effort to show the world that we have "Islamic music" and "islamic entertainment".
Also, on a long-term level, one has to look at the damaging effects this will have on Muslims - pop culture in the Western sense involves giant posters on bedroom walls, songs all day on the bus, in the kitchen, at work, goign to sleep, screaming at concerts, falling in love with their icons and other such jahilliyah. In short, it is very close to idol worship - do we want our sisters to go thru a similar thing?
Even brothers: I have already heard that in some places they have girl nasheed groups who perform in front of guys. Where is all this going?
As was mentioned in an earlier article, people listen more to these anasheed than to the Qu'ran, which is the best of dhikr. This is deeply troubling.
"The other issue is an attitude taken by some Muslims that the suffering of the Muslim ummah should take up our every waking thought."
I would agree - if we are truly one body and sincere brothers and sisters, we should feel this everday. I should feel the same pain every day a sister is raped as I would as if my own blood sister is being raped. I agree, we need balance definitely - the problem is is that this sort of activity (nasheed concerts) is not balance - its excessive.
How about this? The next nasheed concert is focused on jihad fee sabeelillah with artists performing with the intention to raise awareness of the plight of Muslims and to praise the mujahideen, with all proceeds going to the Hamas government? Now that's what I call balance :o)
Salaam
No i absolutley agree that we should not be importing western pop culture into nasheed concerts and it is counter-productive. This is why i mentioned the strict conditions that Imam Ghazzali laid down for listening to sama in the Ihya and Data Ganj Baksh in the Kashful Majhub
It's a much needed debate and this article's gone down well with lots of people, considering email forwards.
Wassalaam.
This question about feeling the pain of the ummah every day. The problem i feel with our situation today is that we spend so much time focusing on what's happening in other countries, that we don't pay enough attention to the problems we are facing here.
We have alot of youth of drugs, in gangs, becoming secularised, single mothers, lack of education. Although qualitivily they may not be as bad as what is happening in Palestine, Iraq etc, they are OUR problems. There is a principle of the Shariah that says you should deal with your immediate self first, then your family, then your community etc etc.
Our house is on fire here and we need to sort it out, our huffing and puffing about what goes on overseas hasn't (and correct me if i'm wrong about this) achieved very much in the last few years. We need to build ourselves up as a strong community in this country so that we can be really effective as a united dynamic force that can effect real change in this country and overseas.
I agree on this point - many of our youth are involved in gangs, drugs, etc and are way off the path and we do definitely need to focus on this and build a strong community.
That said, I do not see why we should not discuss issues of the Ummah at the same time - from my own experience working with disaffected non-practising youth, many of them have come back to the deen because of global events.They try so hard to fit in with wider society, breaking with Islamic norms just to be accepted. Then an incident like 9/11 happens and these very people they tried to impress turn around and look at them as "dirty pakis" or "terrorist", something outside their circles.
You cannot avoid what is going on - its in the papers, on the news, in tv programmes, discussed in school; and many slowly realise that chilling with gangs and shooting up isnt much use to our oppressed brothers and sisters, and only by cleaning themselves us and practising properly can they bring a change, however small. Ignoring these issues is not the solution.
I would disagree that huffing and puffing about the fires overseas has not made a difference - that public opinion in Britain has shifted so much against Zionism is a result of tireless campaigning. That an Israeli general couldnt get off his plane in UK last year for fear of being arrested for war crimes is something quite unthinkable ten years ago. The community's political awareness and action has matured a lot over many years.
In conclusion, i agree - get our own house in order but lets not forget our neighbours who we owe a huge duty to as well. I dont see why we cannot do both simultaneously.
I wasn't saying we should ignore the overseas situation, i was just positing the idea that we should shift our emphasis onto domestic matters.
I am however dubious about the role Muslims ourselves played in shifting attitudes against zionism. I went to QMUL which probably had a Muslim population consisting of 33% of the total student population yet the Friends of Palestine society was full of non-Muslims and when i left, there was Jewish President of the FOP society.
You are correct: unfortunately, it has traditionally been the kuffar who have been involved in campaigning for what are effectively Muslim causes - all Muslims in the past have done is the odd demo, naaray Takbir, and home for some biryaani and chai. However, in recent years, our community has matured and is getting involved in a more effective way, which has contributed to some of the relative success. But rather than leave it now, I think we need to build on it.
But you are correct - there needs to be more of a focus on domestic issues.
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