The Politics of Islamic Pop

Pop nashid (or nasheed) refers to a vocal music work either sung a cappella or with instruments, according to a particular Islamic tradition or style. Such music and Islamic pop artistes generally celebrate Allah, Prophet Muhammad and an Islamic lifestyle in lyrics. At times, these lyrics address the importance of freedom or the situations for refugees or Palestinians.

Artistes and companies alike have featured in numerous politicised contexts. For instance, whether in events celebrating the Turkish politician Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or promoting the 2014 Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. This webinar will analyse the politics of Islamic pop music through a case study of the Islamic media company Awakening Records and their artistes. Beyond motivations and implications, the discussion will zoom in on the genealogy of the music in question. How can we frame the logic of politics within a conceptual discourse of Islamic ethical empowerment? How do we see post-Islamist engagement through such music? Professor Jonas Otterbeck aims to shed light on the above themes.

This public talk was conducted online via Zoom on Wednesday, 23 June 2021, from 4.00pm to 5.30pm (SGT). For the reading materials and more information on this event, you may click here: https://mei.nus.edu.sg/event/the-politics-of-islamic-pop/