Better Know Your Muslim Music Genres
Metal: Orphaned Land
Now, the members of the Israeli prog metal band were all born Jewish, and none of them have converted to Islam. So why the hell are they on this list? Because their awesomeness is one of the very few things that Muslims and Jews in the Middle East seem to universally agree on.
Orphaned Land's inclusion of Muslim influences and teachings from the Koran (to much criticism) as well as singing in English, Hebrew and Arabic has built them a huge unified fan base in the Middle East, where the faithful of many different sects all get together peacefully to revel in band's constant message of light overcoming darkness.
Punk: The Kominas
Michael Muhammad Knight wrote a novel called The Taqwacores that was populated with punk-rock Muslims and wound up launching an entire genre of music. The sudden birth of Islamic punk bands enabled a whole segment of American Muslims fed up with negative public perceptions to express that frustration and anger. From Massachussetts, the Kominas are one of the best examples out there. Make sure you pick up a copy of Wild Nights at Guantanamo Bay sometime.
Country: Kareem Salama
If there's any genre of music you'd think would be 100 percent Muslim-free, it would be country. After all, it's the sphere where Toby Keith reigns.
Nonetheless, Keith's fellow Oklahoman Kareem Salama grew up in love with the storytelling nature of country music, and has since become a spokesman for Muslim tolerance as well as a significant rising star. Granted, Salama is country the way Taylor Swift is country, but it's a good start.
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