Playing with spirituality: the adoption of mulid motifs in Egyptian dance music

Abstract

This study introduces a trend of Egyptian dance music called mulid that is named after festivals held in honor of the Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Muslim saints. Distinct from Islamic pop in its grassroots sound and ambiguous approach to piety, this trend draws musically and lyrically on mulids and the Sufi tradition of inshad (spiritual, ritual-focused singing) in a youthful, boisterous dance style. The range of approaches it takes in doing so is wide, from that of appreciation for the danceable musicality of inshad, to a quest to impart 'traditional' moral messages to youth, to playful fun-making of Sufi ritual and the mulid milieu. This study examines the content of mulid dance songs, the festive and social contexts in which they are used, and some of the cultural debates surrounding them. In doing so, it explores the ambiguous ways in which Egyptian youth culture is appropriating notions of piety in grassroots musical entertainment. It further discusses why this fusion of street-smart attitudes and spiritual-based motifs, existing as it does outside of the 'clean' Islamic pop current, nonetheless typically fails to incite religious sensibilities.

Popularizing Islam or Islamizing popular music: new developments in Egypt’s wedding scene

“…Accordingly, what began as a discourse and an ideology was turned into a project and, finally, into an artistic practice. This led to a host of artistic productions with regard to songs and music, as well as soaps and films, that blended religion with art and entertainment (see LeVine 2008;Peterson 2008;Schielke 2008;Tartoussieh 2007;Van Nieuwkerk 2011b).…”

“…This encouraged several wedding bands emerging from the Islamist scene to "lighten up" and bands from outside the Islamist circles to sing religious songs at the request of audiences. Guests can show "elasticity" with regard to piety and entertainment (Peterson 2008;Van Nieuwkerk 2008a), and performers sometimes exhibit a pragmatic attitude. Although I intend neither to deny the existence of overtly religious weddingswhether expansive high class or sober low class-complying with the original ideas and formats of Islamic weddings nor to overlook the continued existence of the popular variety in the street, I noticed interesting hybrid forms where the two meet.…”

“…Should we interpret the "halalification" of entertainment as an instance of Islamizing (pop) music, popularizing Islam, or both simultaneously? As we will see, there are multiple ways in which Islam, art, leisure, and entertainment can be intertwined in contemporary Egypt (see also Moll 2010;Peterson 2008;Schielke 2008). Before describing the development in the scene of popular weddings and the Islamic alternative, I will provide a brief backdrop for understanding the dynamics that influence the field of popular art and entertainment-in particular, the transformations in the Islamist movement and its impact on the field of (pious) arts.…”