Exercise 3: From pop to punk – Muslim artists perform

Time

50 min
 

The goal of this exercise

• to familiarize students with contemporary popular culture of artists who are Muslims and live in the West.
• To make students aware, how Muslims who live in the West can negotiate their identities
   

Instruction for teacher

Divide pupils into pairs or groups and give them one of the songs (see references for more, inculing lyrics and articles about the artists) to watch, listen and interpret. Ask them about their impressions regarding the videos – did they fit into their perception of Muslims in the West? What are the songs about? What message are the artists conveying? What are the elements related to Islam? How does the video fit into Western culture?

The songs cover different social and political issues that are important for Muslim artists in the West. Mona Haydar – a Syrian-American hip hop artist tackles the issue of Orinetalism and how non-Whites (i.e. Barbarians) are perceived through colonial lens in the society.

Mona Haidar, Barbarian

Shadia Mansour is a British rapper of Palestinian origin. Her powerful songs are about Palestine – Al-Kuffiyeh Arabiyyeh is about the ‘Arabic scarf’, which is called kufiyyah and is a significant marker of Palestinian identity. She also speaks about the daily oppression of Palestinians.

Shadia Mansour, Al Kuffiyeh 3Arabeyyeh

Sami Yusuf is a British singer born in Iran, who sings about religion. In the song Hasbi Rabbi he presents himself as a cosmopolitan, speaking four languages (which is close to the reality) and being a good citizen of the societies in which he lives.

Sami Yusuf, Hasbi Rabbi

Native Deen is an American band. Just as Sami Yusuf they don’t use instruments (except for drums) for religious reason. Their story is about the lack of acceptance of Muslims by American society.

Native Deen, Not afraid to stand alone

The Kominas is a punk band from the US, but of Pakistani origin. In their songs they address in a provocative manner many social problems. Sharia law in the USA is about the bad image and discrimination of Muslims in the USA.

The Kominas, Sharia Law in the USA

Methodical explanation

Some of the texts are not in English, while some might be hard to understand and to interpret. That is why links to articles that can be used to help understand the messages that the artists convey are provided.