Your Take: Country Cultures
Early this week, ABC News published a story on Kareem Salema, who is being billed as America’s first Muslim country singer.
The article, Muslim-American Country Singer in Syria, Tours Middle East, looks at an $11.5 million cultural initiative campaign by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs:
On stage [Salema] mixes English and Arabic, joking with the audience and introducing his bandmates. Through their guitar solos and his lyrics to songs like “Picnics and Sunshine” he conveys a uniquely American sound and a Southern ease. In another song called “You Are Me,” he pulls a common thread through two cultures. “Middle Eastern man, do you know who I am? I’m a God-fearing man, and I love my land,” he says, then roughly repeats the line in Arabic. The song ends with a riff mixing “Hallelujah” and “Hamdullilah,” the Arabic religious phrase of giving thanks. The audience is visibly stunned by the musical mixture.
…
“I just thought it was wonderful and I wish more things like it would happen,” said Rima Abou Hoja.
“Most Syrians have a monolithic view of America. [Kareem] is Muslim, he’s Arab and he’s American in his own way…there’s no conflict.”
“He brought a sense of Western music here. I felt it and everyone felt it,” said Claude Shamy, a college student in Latakia hoping to pursue a graduate degree in the U.S. “It’s going to bring them closer to America and closer to the culture of America.”
Give us your take: Can a Muslim artist succeed in the U.S. right now? Do you think country music has the ability to help bridge the political and philosophical differences between countries, in a similar vein as Billy Joel’s 1987 rock concerts in the Soviet Union?
Thanks to Ken Morton, Jr. for this week’s Your Take idea.
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41 Comments
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May 29, 2010 at 7:57 am
Unless one racially profiles their musical choices, they should be open to this.
The fact that it is state-funded will raise some keyboard hackles, but programs like theses are cost efficient in winning the war on terrorism. There’s a reason there are soldiers handing out toys and pencils in Iraq and Afghanistan along with daisy-cutters.
Looking for any way to sway the world to democratic ideals without costing American blood is a way to support our troops. Thanks to them this weekend and every other.
May 29, 2010 at 8:06 am
Anybody with good music has a fair shot.
May 29, 2010 at 8:46 am
Seems like these are two pretty separate questions. I think a Muslim country singer will have a tough time making it in the country mainstream here, as far as that side of it goes. On the other, country artists have been involved in cultural outreach programs for a long time – George Hamilton IV, a country artist, beat Billy Joel to the USSR by more than a decade – including in the Middle East. It would probably be good for the US to make it a little easier for artists from other countries to come here, too; it can be a tough proposition.
May 29, 2010 at 9:25 am
religion has nothing to do with good music… i am a devout christian but i listen to Robbie Fulks. This should be accepted so we can also have a glimpse into the culture of others…
Of course the only problem is if this guy would conform the homogeneity of Nashville standards and lose his voice in the process
May 29, 2010 at 9:32 am
I think it’s very cool to have an Arab country singer introduce country music to the Middle East, where many people are unfamiliar with it. Unfortunately, he might have a hard time building up a fan base in the U.S. He would probably face some difficult prejudicial issues, but if he is talented, he may be able to overcome them.
Even though country music originated in America, it conveys messages and emotions that are universal. I could hardly be more thrilled to see Kareem Salama spreading the influence further.
(By the way, I might point out that you spelled his name differently in two occurances of it – at the beginning of the article it’s “Salama” with an “a” and in the block quotation it’s “Salema” with an “e”)
May 29, 2010 at 9:40 am
I found a Kareem Salama music video on YouTube. He’s not bad. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ursOHxkDKfE
May 29, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I wouldn’t touch this topic with a 10 foot hookah pipe! The real question is whether his singing soothes the camels when he serenades them around the campfire…
May 29, 2010 at 2:15 pm
On the one hand, her has a good voice but the song is a bit too feel-good for my tastes. On the other hand, knowing that this is state funded and touring the Middle East makes it feel a bit like gentle propoganda.
May 29, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Making the note that propaganda has become a much more loaded word socially than its actual definition warrants and I will use the latter, its actual definition.
My favorite recent pieces of propaganda:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsV2O4fCgjk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmKgITJejfg
But, of course, if you want propaganda that kind of makes you snicker… look no further than Ol’ Mikey Dukakis!
http://www2.wabash.edu/blog/images/Michael_Dukakis_in_tank.jpg
May 29, 2010 at 2:45 pm
If its good music I’d buy it no matter what the artist’s religion is =)
May 29, 2010 at 4:07 pm
It must be hard to be a rick, living up to the expectations all the time and being bad to stay in character.
It’s even harder to expend the energy to react to him, giving him the rise he so obviously desperately lives for.
May 29, 2010 at 4:58 pm
I don’t think mainstream country will allow for ‘muslim’ “looking” to say nothing of actual religion- artists to be successful. Radio and labels will take one look at an obviously middle eastern man or woman and look the other way and think, “no way my audience can relate to that.” It’s much the same way they have reacted to any other skin colors that weren’t “White” over the years. It took a roots-rock star to truly break country’s color barrier once again.
I’m all for diversity and think country music desperately needs it but at the same time, I see how the industry reacts and it’s not good.
May 29, 2010 at 6:18 pm
I’d imagine that certain sectors of the community would be interested. However, mainstream country won’t – it would be a PR nightmare for numerous reasons (which in itself is something to reflect on).
May 29, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Michael Dukakis? Really? It’s been 22 years, find a new target.
May 29, 2010 at 9:44 pm
With everything else worthy of talking about in country music, is this topic really of any importance?
May 30, 2010 at 3:08 pm
I wish Mr. Salama the best of luck in his career, and really hope that the mainstream country music fan-base gives him a chance.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that country music, as it exists presently, has the power to unite international cultures the way Billy Joel did in the 1980s. Since country music has the noble quality of being so patriotic, I believe it can, at times, facilitate xenophobia and antagonism between other cultures, with the successes of “Have You Forgotten” and “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” serving as examples.
The commentary on Mr. Malec’s recent review of “Keep the Change” shows how unenlightened some of country music’s fan-base can be with respect to the existing political climate. I hope, however, fans will agree with me that one of the beautiful parts of country music that it is pro-American, meaning pro-Muslim-American as well. I am excited to see if this young singer makes his way into the mainstream and if he sets the future of commercial music in a new direction.
May 30, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Hey Joe,
So we who do not share Malec’s leftist viewpoints are now all of the sudden unenlightened? Now we don’t understand the political climate because we have a different viewpoint? You are yet another person who thinks that the songs you just mentioned causes other cultures to be antagonistic towards us?
What do you want us to sing in country music? A steel and fiddle rendition of Lennon’s “Let’s Give Peace A Chance”?
I am sorry I am so unenlightened. Typical liberal high-brow elitist comments. By the way, I no doubt have more education in my little toe than you do in your entirety. I will be happy to compare with you if you so desire.
Also, on this day before Memorial Day, I have the CLASS to thank our honor soldiers, both men and women, who gave their lives for our country. The last time I checked, the ONLY constitution we should be concerned about is our own. And it is not a relevant living document. It is our foundational underpinning of the greatest experiment ever – the United States of America.
Malac and you didn’t learn that in your Humanities class or your Political Science class taught by a neanderthal.
And lastly, thank God for the freedom to be able to articulate stupidity when one choose. I will leave others to guess who the “one” is.
May 30, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Waynoe,
I can’t speak for Joe but as somebody who leans to the liberal side of the equation (but votes for candidate and issues and not for party), I agree that there are jingoistic songs that paint with broad strokes (and they can come from BOTH sides).
I don’t think Joe was being a ‘typical liberal high-brow elitist,’ I think he was stating his personal opinion on how country music and the industry perceives itself or is perceived.
And, what’s wrong with giving peace a chance? Wouldn’t the world be a better place with our soldiers at home and not in harms way? Is what John Lennon was aksing for (peace and equality for all humanity) too much?
Is there no hope for humanity to ever be at peace? It’s a goal we SHOULD all want to achieve, whether it happens or not. That’s what I think soldiers are giving up their lives for. Not for our rights to party and ‘start the summer,’ but for our right to live life peacefully. It’s something that should allow for all walks of life to be be accepted into country music’s world. White, black, Asian, Arabic, Chrsitian, Jew, Muslim, Straight and Gay.
May 30, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Plus, many country singers have already covered The Beatles.
May 30, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Yes we should strive for peace. Any thoughtful historian will agree that peace through strength has usually worked. Like him or not Reagan taught that and even liberals now give him credit.
Your last paragraph is incorrect. Soldiers giving their lives are usually not doing so to provide a way for a gay or Muslim to sing country music. That my friend, is very small-minded.
They are doing so to protect our country and original constitution. Your assertion about the partying and starting the summer I agree with.
My Marine son would also agree with it.
May 30, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Yes, peace through strength. It worked so well for Imperial Germany, France, Great Britain, and Russia in 1914.
May 30, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Steve,
Wow. How elementary. That was attempted acquisition by aggression – not peace through strength.
Good grief.
I agree that sometimes strength does not equate into peace. But peace is usually achieved by strength. It is the purpose behind the strength. And that is what makes America great. When we have been at our strongest, we never let that equate to aggression. Can’t say that for Germany, Russia, etc.
May 30, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Waynoe,
Soldiers are fighting for the rights of all people to live peacefully in their country (and hopefully the world). They’re fighting so that people can have the freedom to be anything they want to be, which does include the ability to be a muslim or gay singer (country or otherwise). They’re fighting for freedom and peace which in it’s basic form should include acceptance and equality, which is what that constitution stands for.
May 30, 2010 at 11:32 pm
The constitution does not allow for everything. Hence why some want it changed. It’s not an open book for everything.
No one, including myself, ever said others may not try to be, say a country singer. But I don’t have to like it, cane disagree with it, and should be able to do so without being called racists, judgmental, etc.
By the way, take a pole of the soldiers. I think they would agree with my assertion more as the reason they are fighting or stand ready to do so.
May 30, 2010 at 11:43 pm
Waynoe,
Are you saying that the constitution doesn’t allow for acceptance and equality? Because if you are, there are many supreme court justices over time that have routinely disagreed with you.
You are right that you can disagree with somebody being a country singer (for whatever reason). I won’t call you names for it as it’s your choice and preference, which is again, part of what Soldiers are fighting for.
They’re fighting for that original constitution that Jefferson wrote and the amendments that have been added to it. To assert that they’re fighting for original constitution only would be just fallacy.
May 30, 2010 at 11:43 pm
You might try reading up Wayne on the years prior to 1914. Europe was engaged in an arms race. Try _Dreadnought_ by Robert Massie.
May 30, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Steve,
Read what I said again.
May 30, 2010 at 11:57 pm
I should amend the fathers of the constitution wrote, not Jefferson by himself…
May 31, 2010 at 12:05 am
Yes, I read what you wrote, and again, you miss the point. Aggression was aided by the arms race between the two sides. It is one of the key lessons U.S. foreign policy leaders of the post-World War II took away, and explains why beginning with the Kennedy administration, arms control became an important part of U.S. policy to the Soviet Union.
May 31, 2010 at 12:10 am
Steve,
You know as well as I, arms control treaties notwithstanding, that is was U.S. superiority that kept the Soviet Union in check.
I am thankful that our country has a history of NOT using such superiority to acquire through aggression.
However, we are living in a time where, though we still are superior, others fear it less. And that will be hard for all of us to deal with. May we see brighter days ahead.
May 31, 2010 at 12:22 am
No, it was not U.S. superiority that keep World War III from happening, it was MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction). Both sides were well aware that any conflict between the two could lead to only the cockroaches surviving. In the end, it was not military power that toppled communism in Eastern Europe, but economics. George Kennan back in 1946 correctly predicted that if containment (by which he meant economic, not military) of communism in Europe occurred, eventually it would collapse under its own weight. But beginning in 1947 with the Truman Doctrine, the United States turned containment into a military policy. And laying the first brick on the road to the ultimate U.S. tragedy of the 20th century, Vietnam.
May 31, 2010 at 12:23 am
Waynoe, I could argue the validity of your last statement but that discussion has no place on a country music website or in any relation to country music or this specific topic.
May 31, 2010 at 12:54 am
Most soldiers are at war in Iraq and Afghanistan right now because that is where they were sent.
May 31, 2010 at 7:53 am
Matt,
You would argue the validity of my last statement except that it has no relation to country music. O.K. I am good with that. But what about the statements of others on this thread? You mean it’s just mine alone that you think doesn’t belong on a this blog? Is so, a bit disingenuous don’t you think?
Stormy,
Actually, you are not altogether wrong in your statement.
Steve,
You are correct in one assertion. Vietnam was the tragic war of the 20th century. It was fought primarily by the direction of political leaders and not military leaders. Rules of engagement were more prominent and hamstrung our soldiers. Sounds familiar today doesn’t it? As for the cause, you show your colors in blaming America first. Unbelievable. Revisionist history lives on.
May 31, 2010 at 9:54 am
Chris, NO WAY! That picture will be funny for an eternity!
May 31, 2010 at 10:27 am
Waynoe,
I think anything that wasn’t directly related to the Muslim singer here probably is best saved for another place. Perhaps even my own comments earlier…And especially on a day like today.
May 31, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Well Matt, I have no such concerns! I would like to say today that I feel the utmost respect and deepest gratitude towards all of the people who have ever served honorably in the branches of the US Military! Its a great shame and truly pitiful that we have a president and Congressional majorities who are trying to unravel and destroy everything that those brave soldiers ever sacrificed for! Just freakin’ pathetic…
In something slightly related to this thread, I wish to commend the Israeli military for having the balls and brains to launch a military strike against the “Jihad Flotilla”. I admire Benjamin Netanyahu almost as much as I loathe Oscumbag! As the Aussies might say, Good on ya Bibi…
Obama’s skipping of the wreath laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary and passing that task to Bozo Biden was the kind of disrespectful and disgraceful action I’ve come to expect from our marxist moron in chief! Its a shame that a bolt of lightning didn’t strike our “Dear Leader” in Illinois and turn him into a human version of a curly fry…
May 31, 2010 at 11:11 pm
Matt,
I concur – have a great week!
June 1, 2010 at 8:47 am
Rick,
Obama went to a ceremony in Chicago. It’s not like he was out having hamburgers or something. I’m sure this has also been pointed out, but many presidents – including republicans – have sent their VPs to do it. George Bush Sr. never went to one.
June 2, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Being a Muslim(-American) country singer is definitely not the easiest career path to walk in this day and age. You cram enough “Courtesy Of The Red White And Blue”‘s and all their countless rip-offs down the audience’s throat, and they aren’t going to be too accepting of somebody like this Salema.
It’s a shame that a style of music that is constantly praising its rebel/outlaw/loner forefathers is now just about the most conformity-obsessed genre of music around.
June 3, 2010 at 12:02 pm
“Its a shame that a bolt of lightning didn’t strike our ‘Dear Leader’ in Illinois and turn him into a human version of a curly fry…’
Being a Hollywood type, I’d think you’d subscribe to John Wayne’s quote: “I didn’t vote for him, but he’s my president, and I hope he does a good job.”
Wishing death on somebody is pathetic and wrong.