Facilitation Questions Yaritza Gonzalez
1. In what ways do you think Islam has a stronger connection to music rather than to art or literature?
2. Why do you think it was important for Muslim artists to have to be better than the popular artists of the time? One example in the book is that they had to be better than Lil Wayne.
3. Why do you think it meant more for these Muslims to have Islam be perceived as something "cool" as opposed to some other description?
4. What do you think would have been the impact of this book if it had been written by a non-Muslim?
5. Do you think this approach to research can be applied to different religions and through different forms of art apart from music?
1. I think Islam has a stronger connection to music among younger generations or audiences. I imagine that more people can relate to music rather than much older works of art and literature. I think it also helps that within music, there is usually a direct target or message it is trying to convey. In contrast to art or literature where people may interpret it in which ever way possible.
ReplyDelete2. I think one of the reasons why the Muslim artists wanted to be better than the popular artists of the time was to establish and show the United States that Muslim Hip Hop or other music produced by Muslim artists is legit and cool to listen to. I can also see it as a why to inspire others within the Muslim community to embrace their culture and to not be afraid to put it out there for people to see.
3. I think it being "cool" is much more important to these Muslims because "cool" is a more universally accepted thing. Every culture has different opinions on different things, but I think that something's/someone's "coolness" is understood by almost every culture. For example, American action movies are played around the world and make tons of money. Although some jokes may not translate across cultures, I think the special effects and the choreography still convey this idea of "coolness" to audiences world wide.
4. If the book were to be written by someone non-Muslim, I think the interviews with the several artists and members of the community would be less effective. Maybe these interviewees wouldn't be as willing to talk about these topics to someone who isn't apart of their community. I also think that the book overall wouldn't be as interesting because the author also has a lot of personal experience within this community and her experiences help to flesh out her narrative.
5. I can see this approach working with members of a choir and how they view their religion of practice. If we are talking about different art forms, perhaps someone can interview modern painters or sculptors that create art whose themes may be considered as blasphemous.