The three-hour public radio show Forum devoted one of its hours two weeks ago to discussing Muslim women in Northern California. Host Michael Krasny talked to four women — Amra Tareen, Dian Alyan, Farhana Khera, and Shaherose Charania — and emphasized their positions as successful career women, “practicing Muslims,” and of Asian heritage. All of the women made it far in their careers as businesswomen, lawyers, and entrepreneurs. Their heritage includes Pakistani, Indian, and Indonesian, with some growing up in Canada and Australia before moving to the United States. The group included Shi’a and Sunni women, briefly mentioning the differences, and women with and without hijab. The focus of the segment was a bit unclear, ranging from the women’s professional lives to their interpretations of Islam to defending Islam against critical callers. It seemed that the show viewed the topic “professional successful Muslim woman” as not a specific enough to fill an entire hour.

Although host Krasny could have done a better job interviewing and moderating the discussion, the selection of guests was excellent. All four of the women were articulate, confident, and carriers of impressive and inspiring résumés. Farhana Khera, a second-generation Pakistani, is a civil-rights lawyer who advised the Senate judiciary committee before and after September 11. She is executive director of Muslim Advocates, a charitable organization that seeks to be a legal resource to promote Muslim participation in American public life. Amra Tareen, also Pakistani, is a venture capitalist who has recently founded Allvoices, an online media site for Muslims, and serves as CEO. Dian Alyan, from Indonesia, is founder and president of the GiveLight Foundation, a crisis relief organization focusing on orphans after natural disasters. Alyan, who used to work for Procter & Gamble, was moved to action after she lost great numbers of family members in the 2004 tsunami and saw the lack of improvement in daily life after the tsunami. Shaherose Charania is director of product strategy for the telecommunications startup JAJAH and founder of Women 2.0 to promote female entrepreneurship.

The women discussed the not so much the struggles of being Muslim as being female in their competitive, male-dominated fields. Being female may be a higher glass ceiling in some ways, they said. None of the women has faced any overt discrimination for being Muslim. They stressed the importance of education, the role of faith in their lives, and repeatedly thanked the United States for its opportunities and legal system. They referred to practicing their faith, but in ways Krasny, pushing them to discuss prayer at work — which they said is not a big deal — did not expect.

CHARANIA: When I’m sitting at my startup and coming up with a new product spec at 4 o’clock in the morning in time for my developers in Tel Aviv to get the specs, I feel that that is a sense of externalizing or practicing my faith, because I’m building a product that’s going to lower the cost of global communications. I’m sitting dedicating my life to giving back, through business that actually creates a difference in the world.

Alyan pointed to her faith as a source of inspiration and encouragement for her education and career. At one point, Krasny described synthesizing Islam with an American identity and said, “That’s a challenge for you, isn’t it?” The women responded together, “No, no… It’s not.”

Krasny did a rather atrocious job pronouncing the women’s names and fell into some stereotypes common to journalists discussing Muslim women.

Although clothing did not seem like a big issue for any of the women, Krasny kept the discussion on hijab for a while. Alyan, who began wearing the hijab after making the hajj, explained that the Qur’an requires modesty but leaves the details to the individual to interpret. She noted that there is and always will be diversity in dress among Muslim women, accounting for the four-woman group, in which one wore hijab. “That’s one of the beauties of Islam, that it leaves some room for diversity of thought,” Alyan said. Tareen, who grew up in Pakistan, explained that in Pakistan she did not see Muslim women wearing the hijab. When she moved to Australia as a teenager, she saw for the first time Muslim women in hijab. “I thought, “OK, maybe they’re Muslim nuns or something,” she said. It was in the United States she saw the most Muslim women wearing hijab. Most of the women interviewed do not wear hijab, and all of the guests pointed out that modesty extends beyond head-covering.

Krasny would have made a better interviewer had he listened to what his guests had to say instead of projecting his own biases. At one point, he joked that Charania was “bowing down to man and the market,” not God, and then switched to listener calls before she could respond to his criticism. Earlier he had brought up Muslim Girl magazine — seeming only to mock what he saw as materialism and the ridiculous of an all-female prom.

The second half of the segment discussed “misconceptions about Islam.” This put the burden on the women to respond live to specific arguments against Islam from callers. The first caller, a woman from a Muslim country but no longer a Muslim herself, argued against the treatment of women around the Islamic world. Another caller praised the women for their achievements but asked how they dealt with the Qur’an telling them to bow beneath their husbands and fathers. Within the first few minutes of her interview, Khera was asked about marriage inequality.

KRASNY: Particularly, I was thinking, in the last hour we were talking about gay marriage as a civil right and so forth. Muslim men, as I understand it, can marry a Christian or Jewish woman, but Muslim women can only marry Muslim men?

This is the most pressing, relevant question? Khera explained that while a lawyer, she is not a specialist in Islamic law — perhaps to deflect more such questions — and that although this is the traditional interpretation, it is not the only one; other offer women the equivalent right. While Forum’s preceding hour explored the diversity of attitudes towards marriage among the gay community, this segment lacked a focus as clear, becoming instead a “Muslim women”-themed free-for-all, with Muslim businesswomen asked to explain shari’ah. It would have been more effective to save the “Is Islam a fair religion?”, “What is modesty in Islam?”, and “Where do culture and religion differ?” discussions to distinct episodes with specific guests and limited this one to “What is it like to be a professional Muslim women?”, which these specific guests could have answered more effectively. Nevertheless, they did an excellent job with all the questions thrown at them.

The piece as a whole was a good listen, but more thanks to the guests than the host and design.
You can listen to the entire segment streaming or download the .mp3 file at the official site.

Muslim Girl magazine has been out for about a year and half and has been profiled previously on MMW. On Monday, CBC radio show, Sounds Like Canada, interviewed Ausma Khan, founder and editor-in-chief of Muslim Girl. Interviewed by host Amanda Putz, Khan talked about the magazine as well as herself and her own experiences.

Putz tells us that Khan (pictured here), as a Muslim woman in the media, is often referred to and consulted for issues regarding Muslims. For example, Khan's comments on the Aqsa Parvez murder are mentioned. In the controversy surrounding the hijab following the murder, Muslim Girl magazine then spoke with young Muslim girls about their views on the murder as well as the hijab.

When questioned about the conflict regarding the hijab, Khan diplomatically states that it's not a conflict but rather a matter of choice. The hijab for Muslim Girl is a non-issue, as it should it be, and both those with and without hijab are included as Khan says the aim of her magazine is to represent all Muslim girls in North America.

Putz asks Khan whether she grew up not wearing the hijab. Khan, who does not nor ever did wear the hijab, states her Pakistani heritage, in which the hijab is not common, is part of the reason she did not wear it. She also explains that her hijab-less mother, who she describes as an outspoken feminist, does not believe the hijab is obligatory. The connection is curious: either she may be saying that not believing in it requires one to be an outspoken feminist, or that believing in it requires one not be. But then Khan, almost as if to explain herself, states that although wearing the hijab is not common in the culture in which she grew up, she still comes from a "pious and practicing Muslim family." I was unclear as to why she felt the need to include that comment. It seemed as if she was stating that despite not believing in an obligation of the hijab her family was still pious - as if that is not common. Was Khan buying into the common belief that hijab equals piety?

Amongst talk of fashion and style in Muslim Girl, the interview takes an interesting twist, one which our Canadian readers will find especially interesting. Khan compares her experiences of being Muslim in the US and Canada. Khan, a Canadian Muslim now living in the U.S. and originally from my own birth town (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), explained how as a Muslim in Canada, she was very complacent. She felt accommodated and respected. Even when reporters in Canada would ask her questions, for instance on the Aqsa Parvez case, their questions were always respectful. Her experiences were not similar in the U.S. Although she met people who were supportive and willing to learn, she states that the media in the U.S. has been quite negative about Muslims. This conversation reveals one of the many differences between the cultures of the U.S. and Canada. Perhaps this is speaking to the differences between the Muslims of Canada and the U.S., and the importance to recognize the differences in our experiences.

When explaining her motivation for Muslim Girl magazine, Khan cites her own feelings of not belonging. After attending the University of Toronto and being a member of their diverse and accepting Muslim Student Association, she tells the listeners of her very different experiences with the University of Ottawa's MSA, a very conservative group whose interpretations of Islam were different than her own, and within which she did not feel welcome. Especially since their interpretations encouraged strict segregation of the sexes and placed women in an inferior position, assuming a deficiency of knowledge. This is something with which many Muslim girls will be able to identify. Khan stating it made it seem acceptable to admit the sexism is present in many interpretations of Islam. After all, it does happen and so many women are being alienated from Islam as a result. And perhaps, in a Canadian context, especially on CBC radio, the listenership of which tends to be liberal, this statement felt safe to make. No cringing necessary.

For Khan, Muslim Girl magazine is a means of education and enlightenment for both Muslim girls and non. Her role as editor-in-chief has been utilized by various organizations to educate non-Muslims about Muslims, especially Muslim women. The magazine itself is more likely to be picked up by Muslim girls and/or women. Non-Muslims perhaps are not going to learn much directly from the magazine, as it's content is relevant mainly to Muslim girls. But at least Khan, with her magazine, has been able to create a space for Muslim girls of varying kinds.

To hear the interview visit The Best of Sounds Like Canada podcast site and scroll to June 2.

A few days ago, I caught an Intelligence Squared U.S. debate on the radio. The series evaluates a claim through Oxford-style debate. The resolution was “Islam is dominated by radicals.” The wording of the issue is flawed, as participant Reza Aslan (against) pointed out in his opening speech, and the supporting team’s attempts to clarify the intent of the resolution led to inconsistent interpretation on both sides of the debate.

Nevertheless, the debate was commendable in its choice of participants. For an issue about Islam, both sides included Muslims — more notably, Muslim women.

Asra Nomani argued on the “for” side, and Edina Levovik, with Aslan, represented the Muslim voice on “against.” The debate also included the opinions of non-Muslims: two top figures in conservative think tanks (for) and a Columbia University history professor with an emphasis in Muslim countries (against).

It’s important that Muslim women’s voices be a part of all discussions of Islam. This resolution did not focus on women, so it was surprising (but refreshing) to see women comprising the majority of the Muslim debaters. This sends the message that women are an engaged part of Islam, not passive victims. Because Muslim women were shown on both sides of the debate, it’s clear that that within that community, there’s a diversity of opinions.

The live debate was held April 15. You can read more about it, see profiles of the debaters, and listen to the full debate here.

Hip hop was created in the '70s as a means for disillusioned Black and Latino youth to express their grievances and anger at the racism and neglect of the system. Today, although not always used for those political purposes, there does remain a strong segment of the hip hop population which uses this form of expression in political ways to bring to light their struggles and experiences with the system, whatever that system that may be. Muslimah Media Watch has highlighted hip hop and Muslim women before.

MMW thanks Jehanzeb for the tip!

Meet Deeyah, (real name Deepika) a Pakistani-Norwegian R&B/rock/pop diva who's been on the music scene for a few years now. Trained in classical South Asian singing, known for her voice and her work to better the lives of women, her talent has been overshadowed by dark controversy along the way. A Pakistani by origin and born in Oslo, Norway, Deeyah began her singing career young. And now she's making a mark in the music scene. She now lives in the U.S., mainly due to the threats she has faced in Norway and the U.K., where she fled to from Norway.

Why the death threats? In her native Norway where she began her career, many in the Muslim community felt her choosing a career in entertainment and dressing provocatively while performing were un-Islamic for a girl who identifies as Muslim. They felt she was setting a poor example for Muslim girls in the community. Some condemned her, as did the leader of Oslo’s Islamic Cultural Centre. Some went as far as sending her death threats, which this leader saw as wrong but understandable. Death threats, insults, harassment, and even physical attacks were understandable to him, but led her to decide to leave Norway for the U.K, in fear of her life. However, in the U.K. extremists began harassing and threatening to kill her as well, leading her to the US where she is now recording an album to be released this year. Yet, the controversy has not left her, and this controversy has been because she is a Muslim woman revealing her body.

Deeyah is a singer, composer, human rights activist and director. She wears many hats. As a human rights activist she is a staunch supporter of ICAHK the 'International Campaign Against Honour Killings.' Additionally, she is a supporter of ASHRAM, a women's shelter in Birmingham, U.K. She works to promote freedom of expression among artists around the world. Finally, she has also started a project to encourage young Muslim female rappers.

But one may ask, what is so controversial about Deeyah? Although the majority of Deeyah's music is not about Islam or being Muslim, just being a Muslim woman and scantily clad on screen has been enough to attract the ire of many. It seems she is constantly hounded by religious extremists for bearing skin and dancing provocatively, often with men.

As a result of all this harassment and the anger which she felt Deeyah released a song and video, entitled "What Will It Be," which does speak of Muslims and what she sees as hypocrisy in the Muslim community. About the video, Deeyah tells us:



And from an interview she says: "Islam...is very, very, very personal and it has to be honest....If it's not here (pointing to heart) and you don't mean it then don't say it. Don't claim something and...just show off..."

However, some do say that her message is appropriate, but the way in which she presents it is not. From an article:

Hoda Fahmy, who works with a group that provides education to Muslim women in Canada, says Deeyah's message is lost along with the singer's clothing. "A lot of us are working for women's rights, particularly in the Muslim world. I think we have more self-respect than to dance around naked to make our point," she said. "It's unfortunate that she has to use those means, because it's true -- women are not able to speak up in a lot of these countries."

Point taken (though Deeyah is never naked in her videos). And self-respect is not always portrayed by clothing; there are many ways of spreading the message. Staunch opposition and threats from extremists do help in making one even more determined to fight their fight in the way they deem appropriate. And Deeyah is using her career to raise awareness of an issue - not raising awareness by choosing this career.

It is clear that Islam is in the forefront of Deeyah's life, whether she wants it to be or not. It is also clear that she has a lot of respect for Islam. Muslims, in her view, are the ones who need to change and are the ones with flaws, not Islam itself. It is unfortunate that her progress and well-being must be hindered by self-righteous extremists who feel entitled to force others to 'behave.' Her most controversial video brings to light important and disturbing problems in the Muslim community.

Check out the video which has created the most recent controversy.

"What Will It Be - Deeyahcide Mix"

Deeyah ft. Young Maylay

MMW thanks Salma for the tip!

Just like Qur’an recitation, devotional music is often designated the realm of men. Women’s voices are often thought to be too erotic to sing or perform religious content — they sway men to sinful thoughts when they should be focusing on God. But some women have broken from behind this barrier and used their voices to rise to be national and international figures. One such women is Abida Parveen of Pakistan. A singer in the traditions of qawwali, ghazal, and kafi, Parveen ranks among the best-known Sufi performers, a female amongst many males.

Begum Abida Parveen was born in 1957 in Larkana, Pakistan. Her father, Ghulam Haider, a singer and disciple of Sindh and Punjab mystical poets, ran a music school for boys. He began to teach and encourage his daughter when he recognized her talent. An alto, Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Hindi, Punjabi, and Seraiki. She composes her own music and accompanies it with lyrics from Sufi poetry.

What’s notable about Parveen is that she stands out for her talent, not her gender. Look up any of the styles Parveen performs and her name will come up. She has been reviewed by newspapers across the world, from the New York Times to Spain’s El País to the Straits Times of Singapore, and reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The Daily Telegraph of London described her as “one of the world’s great singers — even if you can’t understand her,” a claim echoed by the another London paper, the Evening Standard, which added this description of Parveen’s performance: “It’s as if she’s commanding the universe.” In the words of the Economic Times of India, “Be it the music critic or the layman, who loves music, all believes that Begum Abida Parveen is unarguably one of the finest voices in the Orient and the queen of mystical singing. Her passionate, robust voice spans three octaves and her powerful renditions of devotional music, her fervid and inspirational singing is an experience not to be missed.”

Parveen is frequently compared to the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a fellow Pakistani Sufi star, who carries significant name recognition even in the West. The Nepali Times described her “Pakistan’s ‘female Nusrat.’” Music critics who call Khan the “king of Sufi music” name Parveen as the queen. Parveen is a rare figure in the world of Islamic music because of her gender, but she rejects the idea that women should not participate in religious music. Asked at a press conference, she said,

“We are all the same species — all humans have a representative of godliness, so there is really no male/female division. I have been given this gift by the Divine, who does not recognize differences between male and female singing. I am simply a medium, and if you listen to me sing, even over the period of a few days, it will be entirely different because the transmission is from the Divine.”

It’s disappointing that there aren’t more female performers of Islamic music, but Abida Parveen shines brightly as an example of what Muslim women can achieve.

When the topic of Islam comes up, Muslim women are rarely the voice for discussion. With women pointed out as victims or relevant to only issues of dress, men’s voices dominate the conversation. The radio program Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippet provides a happy exception to this trend.

Tippet’s show features discussions on a variety of aspects of numerous faiths. Delving into topics that range from “gardening and Orthodox Christianity” to “Hinduism and science,” Tippet has a record of discussing issues that may not come to mind immediately. When talk turns to Islam, the conversations are refreshingly insightful.

Of her Islam-related episodes, I’m focusing on interviews with three Muslim women: Ingrid Mattson (April 19, 2007), Fatemeh Keshavarz (March 1, 2007), and Leila Ahmed (Dec. 7, 2006). They are, I’m happy to say, excellent representatives for Muslim women. From an array of backgrounds, these three academics show the lack of conflict between a critical mind and a strong faith.

President of the Islamic Society of North America, Canadian-born Ingrid Mattson has made records as the first woman, convert, and non-immigrant to hold the position. Also a professor at the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, Mattson discussed her relationship with Islam and the role of Muslim women today. With literature professor Fatemeh Keshavarz, Tippet looked at the spiritual and Islamic significance of Rumi’s poetry. Keshavarz, author of Jasmine and Stars (2007), is originally from Iran and and teaches Persian literature at Washington University in St. Louis. Tippet also spoke to Egyptian-American Leila Ahmed, who has fought against misogyny within Islam, teaches women’s studies at Harvard Divinity School, and authored Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate (1992) and the 1999 memoir A Border Passage. Here Ahmed analyzed the attitudes towards the veil in the context of modern-day history and critiqued the concept of an “Islamic world” distinct from “the West.”

This is the kind of discussion of Islam I would love to see more of. I don’t have to hold my breath and wait for the ignorant Islamophobic comments, as I do in listening to the U.S. presidential candidate debates and speeches. But even better than not making me cringe, these women actually inspire. Not the dry statements of Islam 101, the conversation is a level up from usual discourse, recognizing the complexity of religion, politics, and gender in today’s world. In Keshavarz’s discussion of Rumi, listeners can see the depth and beauty of Islam rarely visible in media coverage. I’m so glad to hear this kind of voice from a mainstream news source. I only hope this show, which has less name recognition than many other shows, is heard by enough people.

The episodes mentioned are available as podcasts through iTunes and for direct download at the show’s website. The page for each episode (linked to in this article) includes a transcript, extra audio and writings from the guest, background information, reader feedback, and links to further information on the topics covered.

NPR, or National Public Radio, currently has a series playing in regards to Muslim women, mainly those living in Europe - a continent in which Muslims are notorious for poor integration. The series, entitled Exploring the Status of Muslim Women in Europe, begins with an introductory story about the integration of Muslim women in Europe explaining how their integration is being seen as integral to the integration of Muslims in general.

The first story in the series in on Muslim women in Germany who are mostly of Turkish descent. The majority of these women are uneducated and isolated from German society. Fearing the degradation of their community, Muslim men encourage such isolation to curb any Westernization among Muslim women. Many of these women, 49%, face sexual or physical violence from their homes. Many are forced to marry men from the home-country. They also face discrimination from mainstream German society.

The next story in the series is on a Turkish-German human rights lawyer/activist Seyran Ates who explains how threats from Islamists and ultra-conservatives have forced her to close shop in Germany. Angry husbands of Muslim women she has defended have threatened and even physically attacked her. Ates blames multiculturalism for supporting Islamists and not denouncing their patriarchal and sexist attitudes and behaviours, and therefore for the poor status of Muslim women in Germany. Herself having run away from such a home as a teenager, Ates recognizes that Islam is not the problem but rather those who use Islam to justify for selfish political agendas. Ates paints a very bleak picture for Muslim women in Germany - being oppressed and isolated by their own community, and neglected and ignored by mainstream German society.

The third story in this series focuses on young, South Asian descent British Muslim women who have placed their religion above being British. They have found their identity to be the political form of Islam. Feeling discriminated against after 9-11, many are isolating themselves from British society by not voting until there is Shariah law. Many have started to don the black niqab, discarding their traditional colourful dupattas in an attempt to make a political statement and asserting their identity. Writer and researcher Muneera Mirza calls this new identity a confrontational identity. Such Muslim women have become more Islamic and anti-West, yet take on the Western values of female individuality and being publicly vocal. However, some female Muslim university students, although still advocating sex segregation, have hopes of taking over mosques as they recognize the patriarchy and sexism inherent in the institutions so far.

With the exception of the final points of the latter program, it appears from NPR's series that things are very bleak for Muslim women in Europe. From painting a desperate picture of Muslim women in Germany to a scary one in Britain, it would appear that Muslim women in Europe are extremely dysfunctional. Where were the moderate, educated and progressive voices? Where were the women who were integrated and proud to be Muslim? Perhaps there are none, but that seems unlikely. Or perhaps there were not enough for a story. Are things really this bad in Europe? The series did throw in a few voices like that of Ates and Mirza, but they seemed to be the exception to the rule commenting on the situation, almost as outsiders.

Going back to the introduction of the series in which it was stated that Muslim women's integration reflects the integration of Muslims in general, it would seem that our Muslim community in Europe is doomed to isolation and dysfunction in some form or another. If we were to believe the stories being told by NPR (as well as most of the media stories about European Muslims) we would want to curl up in a ball and cry. I'm not saying we should not believe what we have heard. After all, these problems exist. However, a balanced view would have been appreciated. I'm sure the other side exists. I'm sure they're around. The media has yet to find them and show their story. Or maybe things really are that bad.

Since I was first introduced to it, I’ve been a fan of the radio program This American Life. Each episode of the weekly show looks at a “theme” and fills the hour with stories — real and fictional — of different experiences that reflect the theme. Some stories inspire, some bring tears to my eyes, and some make me laugh out loud (some do all three). I look forward to the weekly podcast. So when I heard the teasers for the upcoming episode “Shouting Across the Divide” — on the failed attempts of Muslims and non-Muslims to communicate — I was intrigued but also a little worried. Coverage of Muslims in the media is ridden with stereotypes, misrepresentation, and incomplete information. Then again, TAL was actually considering the stories of Muslims. Ironically, this conflict could actually fall under the theme of the show.

The Jan. 4 episode is divided into three parts. First, the prologue discusses with a CAIR spokesman the issue of having a statue of the Prophet Muhammad in the Supreme Court. Respectful? Offensive? Well-intentioned? Stereotypical? It’s an interesting topic and it sets the stage for the theme of the show.

Act One tells the story of Serry, an American woman who convinced her Palestinian husband to move the family from the West Bank to the United States to raise their children. The irony is that, instead of the peaceful childhood Serry imagined for them, her children faced intense harassment by other students — for being Muslim, after 9/11. This story, which takes up the bulk of the hour and is the most emotionally compelling, is the best part of the episode. In fact, journalist Alix Spiegel won a journalism award for the segment. Serry and her daughter Chloe describe the difficulties they faced living after 9/11 in homogeneous New Jersey suburb. Serry, who wears hijab, received the middle finger from fellow drivers; she flashed a peace sign in return. Once Chloe’s teacher handed out a pamphlet explaining that “Muslims want to kill Christians,” her fourth-grade classmates began to look at her suspiciously and call her “Osama.” The harassment reached the point that fourth-grade Chloe and her father, watching his daughter suffer, became severely depressed.

One of the most interesting parts is the discussion of Chloe’s response. Facing teasing, rejection, and her teacher’s words that she will burn in hell, Chloe finds she cannot handle being Muslim anymore: “She sat down with her mother and explained that it was all too much pressure.” Instead of rejecting their daughter, Chloe’s parents take the news with sadness but also make accommodations. In Serry’s words, “We stopped practicing as we used to.” Wow. Stories of Muslims being harassed is nothing new. I’ve heard many of those stories: Muslim children are bullied at school, hijabis face discrimination, and teenagers have to explain that they are not terrorists. Throughout it, they stand up against the harassment (and often sue) and their faith never wavers. Chloe’s story is something new. Serry’s faith is described as very important to her — “It’s what gets her up in the mornings” — but she feels the pressure too, and the family skips Ramadan one year. When the children transfer to new schools, they don’t tell their new friends that they’re Muslim. It’s certainly not a faith-inspiring story, but it points to the situation of American Muslims today. Islamophobia is at the point that it’s often easier to just not bring up the topic of religion with non-Muslims. Being openly Muslim requires a “coming-out” process that may, as in Chloe’s case, not be worth it. This is a fascinating topic I would love to see more investigation into.

(For the record, Chloe returns to being Muslim and her family does sue the school district for unfair treatment.)

Journalist Alix Spiegel introduces the story with sensitivity. She pronounces “Muslim” as Serry and Chloe do (unlike TAL host Ira Glass, who says “Muhzlim”). She says “God,” not “Allah.” She lets Serry and Chloe’s own words carry the story. The piece is very well done overall, and I hope it opens eyes of people similar to the dangerously ignorant classmates and neighbors who made Serry’s family miserable. It’s also refreshing to hear the voices of Muslim women — when it’s not even about hijab! (Serry’s hijab is casually mentioned when relevant, but it is neither turned into a big deal nor described as a requirement of Islam.) Too frequently Muslim women’s voices only come up when the discussion is either modest dress or the oppression and abuse of women in the name of Islam. In other cases, men define Islam. Here that’s not the case. (The photo on the website, however, features traditional-looking Muslim men, seated on the floor. Does this illustrate Muslims?)

Unfortunately, the show goes downhill after Act One. Act Two is the experience of a Jewish man working for an advertising company, assigned to a project to “sell American values” to the Arab world (half the time referred to simply as “Muslims”). It’s not clear whether it’s Muslims or Arabs they’re targeting, and there are some awkward moments when the issue of Israel comes up. As a radio story, it’s told well. There are moments of humor and irony. The ad company’s disturbingly racist attitude towards African-Americans is portrayed clearly. But for the theme of the show, this segment doesn’t seem too relevant or necessary. Muslims are painted as a foreign-living entity whose shared belief is anger with Israel. The interchangeable use of “Arab” and “Muslim” is inaccurate and misleading, and the story carries the implication that Muslims and America are intrinsically opposed. There’s no mention of American Muslims, people whose identities coexist peacefully (such as Serry).

It’s unfortunate that TAL could not find a more appropriate story to complement Act One; it would have made for a much stronger episode overall. Nevertheless, I applaud TAL for its effort and Alix Spiegel for her excellent journalism. I appreciate the inclusion of Muslim stories, even if it has to be in an episode set aside specifically for Muslim stories, but “Shouting Across the Divide” won’t rank among my favorite episodes.

Note: You can download the show in.mp3 format at thislife.org until next week’s show goes up next Monday, after which the download will cost $0.95. However, all non-free shows are available for a free listen through streaming radio.

Last year, the Internet advocacy group Avaaz created the video “Stop the Clash of Civilizations” to complement a petition by the same name. Avaaz, “Talk is rising of a ‘clash of civilizations’. But the problem isn’t culture, it’s politics – from 9/11 to Guantanamo, Iraq to Iran. This clash is not inevitable, and we don’t want it.” An important part of the video is the music, a mashup put together by trip-hop artist DJ Spooky. He combined “Western” electronica and Arabic-sounding instrumentals with political soundbites to provide a backdrop for the activist message Avaaz’s video presents.

Avaaz isn’t the first to use music to seek to heal or disprove the “clash of civilizations.” In 2003, Norwegian music producer Erik Hillestad released the album Lullabies from the Axis of Evil. The title alone made me immediately check out a copy from the library. Hillestad’s goal in making the CD was to learn more about the people within the countries deemed enemies of the United States. As he told the Washington Post, “I chose to use lullabies because they are the most opposite kind of rhetoric to the words of power that Mr. Bush and his colleagues use.” Hillestad’s point resonates. It’s impossible to listen to the solemn, gentle lullabies and think of “evil.”

The album goes beyond Bush’s specified “Axis of Evil” nations and includes music from Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Cuba, and North Korea. The a cappella lullabies were recorded alone and later remixed with instrumentals and combined with vocals by a non-“Axis” singer singing the same lyrics in English. This approach has been criticized by some Amazon reviewers for making the songs not “ethnic” enough, but I’d disagree — the English translation of the lyrics is essential. It makes the music more accessible to the Western listener and literally speaks for the singers whose native-language message would otherwise be lost. The accessibility makes the project more powerful. One of my favorite tracks is “Peace Song,” sung by Halla Bassam of Iraq and Sevara Nazarkhan of Uzbekistan. Nazarkhan sings the English words: “Peace to the world / Peace to my country, my love / Peace to your dreams / Peace to your children / Underneath the whispering trees / Where our sons and daughters are free.”

In collecting the lullabies, Hillestad specifically sought out female voices. He explained that this was not to subscribe to the stereotype that only women sing lullabies, but because “the male voices are far too dominant in the world today, speaking the words of power and warfare.”

Hillestad is not the only one to choose women as the carrier of his message. The video by Avaaz uses black-ink pictures of two women: one with a ponytail, to symbolize the United States, and the other in a chador, to symbolize the Muslim Middle East (shown right). Although I’m glad that women aren’t pushed to the sidelines, I’m not sure how to take this. Does it mean that women symbolize peace and cultural healing or that women should be a part of politics today?

Not all musical attempts are saturated with politics. Azam Ali is an Iranian-born, Indian-raised musician who moved to the United States in 1985. Ali is a key member of the group Niyaz (pictured below), which combines the traditional music of the Middle East and Southwest Asia with modern electronica. The group has been classified as an “East Meets West project,” but Ali does not see it that way. In an interview she said, “That is purely the marketing department’s doing. From a musician’s standpoint I can honestly say that it is very natural to blend music from different cultures because you are dealing with an element that transcends all specifications.” Niyaz has been noted for the Islamic, specifically Sufi, influence in its music. Lyrics are borrowed from figures such as the poet Rumi, as well as folk songs from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Blogger Ali Eteraz praised the group for showing a beautiful, life-affirming Islam. Eteraz writes, “In Niyaz, the serenity of Islamic mysticism exists even if the words were to disappear and only the voice were to remain.”

In her first solo album, Portals of Grace (2002), Ali looks to medieval Europe. The range of songs includes Latin chants from the 12th century, Judeo-Spanish songs, and Arabic melodies from the Byzantine era. In the CD liner notes, Ali explains that she hopes to explore “the correlation between the music of medieval Europe and the music of the Arab world.” Listening to the vocal pieces, it’s easy to hear the common elements in traditional European music and traditional Arabic music and realize the two are not worlds apart. Ali includes music associated with the three major Abrahamic traditions. Although not explicitly of any specific religion, the album has a distinctly spiritual feel. Ali says, “For me, singing and prayer are one and the same.” Throughout the pieces there is a meditative feeling of solemnity. Ali sees her interaction with music as an “ongoing dialogue and a longing in our quest for the divine.”

What all of these musical efforts do is make the (presumably Western) listener see the other “clashing civilization” — in this case, the Middle East — not as a faceless force of evil but as just as real and human as the listener him or herself. In the words of the Avaaz video, “Are we that different?” Obviously, the United States’ relationship with the Middle East is fraught with issues more complicated than music can solve. But music speaks not to governments but to everyday people. Pointing out similarities is the first step to wiping away the image of irreconcilable differences.

Note: Ten percent of the profits of Lullabies from the Axis of Evil will go to the organization Worldview Rights; a portion of the profits of Portals of Grace will go to women’s rights organization RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan).