Sounds Islamic? Understanding Muslim Musical Practice in Contemporary Britain

1. Sounds Islamic?Understanding and theorising Muslim musical practice in contemporary Britain Dr Carl Morris University of Central Lancashire

3. Outline of Paper • Muslim musicians and musical style • Religious attitudes towards music • Musicians and a British Muslim Public Sphere • ‘Islamic Music’ and ‘Islamically-Conscious Music’

4. 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)

6. 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

7. Musicians and the Public Sphere A British Muslim Public Sphere… Benedict Anderson – ‘Imagined Communities’ Arjun Appadurai – ‘ Diasporic Public Sphere’

8. Musicians and the Public Sphere emel and the Islam Channel

9. 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

10. Islamic Music and Islamically-Conscious Music Islamic Music • Aimed at a distinct Muslim community • References traditions, beliefs, histories and cultures Islamically-Conscious Music • Universalises and translates Muslim experience • Social & political issues, along with spiritual experience

11. 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.”

12. Thank You