Transcript Sounds Islamic? Understanding and theorising Muslim musical

Sounds Islamic?
Understanding and theorising Muslim
musical practice in contemporary Britain
Dr Carl Morris
University of Central Lancashire
Outline of Paper
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Muslim musicians and musical style
Religious attitudes towards music
Musicians and a British Muslim Public Sphere
‘Islamic Music’ and ‘Islamically-Conscious
Music’
Religious Attitudes Towards Music
“If it has slanderous or crude language or if it is
sexually exciting (through rhythms or through
dance) it is generally haram. Further, if the listening
is done to excess it is haram as Islam is against
taking things to extremes. But there is a personal
dimension to it; if you are not aroused by the songs
and you keep your spirituality then there is no
problem.”
(Otterbeck, 2008: 220)
Religious Attitudes Towards Music
“…the vast majority of Muslims listen to music and
they actually don’t have a problem with it. They’ll
listen to music on the radio and they’ll listen to
music in a Bollywood film, but suddenly sitting in
front of a band that’s playing meaningful music
live, it suddenly becomes haram.”
- Faraz, 34, October 2011, Birmingham
Musicians and the Public Sphere
A British Muslim Public Sphere…
Benedict Anderson – ‘Imagined Communities’
Arjun Appadurai – ‘ Diasporic Public Sphere’
Musicians and the Public Sphere
emel and the Islam Channel
Musicians and the Public Sphere
“…emel magazine is not aimed at young people.
Its audience is the middleclass Muslim community.”
- Rakin, 41, July 2011, London
The Platform Magazine
Muslim Belal
Islamic Music and
Islamically-Conscious Music
Islamic Music
Aimed at a distinct Muslim community
- References traditions, beliefs, histories and cultures
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Islamically-Conscious Music
-Universalises
and translates Muslim experience
- Social & political issues, along with spiritual experience
Religious Attitudes Towards Music
Sami Yusuf on ‘spiritique’:
“It incorporates and utilises Middle Eastern and
Western harmonics, underpinned by spirituality. It’s
all-encompasing, all-inclusive… It will utilise music as
a facilitator for spiritual appreciation, regardless of
race and religion.”
Thank You