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Music: Heavy Metal finds hearing in Islamic societies
8 Jul 2008
Heavy metal music and other forms of rock and rap have become increasingly popular in the Islamic world, often as a protest against corruption in government, according to a recent article in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" (July 4).
Mark LeVine, the author of a recent book called Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam
Heavy metal guitarist (© Andreas Gradin | Dreamstime.com). 
LeVine, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at the University of California, adds that the music is different in Islamic societies because it is often mixed with Islamic themes and music. For instance, in Morocco, which has the most Muslim “metalheads,” the music weaves together Sufi- and Gnawa (Moroccan blues-style Sufi music)-inspired rhythms with the “hardest metal around.” Other heavy metal musicians and fans in Islamic countries consider themselves “secular Muslims,” or separate their religious beliefs from their music and politics.
Because Sufi practice and worship goes against the grain of the Saudi-inspired orthodox Islam in many countries, these musicians and their fans may face both religious and cultural restrictions. The Moroccan government has cracked down on its “homegrown metalheads.” At the same time, the Government has realized the popularity of the music and sponsored a metal festival organized by American evangelical Christians, according to LeVine.
But metalheads in some countries have been arrested, jailed and even tortured for being “Satan worshippers,” LeVine adds. In a much publicized trial in 2003, the government court convicted 14 heavy-metal musicians of Satanism and undermining morality. After followers held rallied and appealed for French support, the government overturned the sentences.
LeVine claims that despite fears of a crackdown, heavy metal and other forms of dissenting pop music and its performance in public is helping to create a new social space in Islamic societies where politics, religion and identity can be discussed.
Richard Cimino is the founder and editor of Religion Watch, a newsletter monitoring trends in contemporary religion. Since January 2008, Religion Watch is published by Religioscope Institute. Website: www.religionwatch.com.
URL: http://religion.info/english/articles/article_384.shtml
Tortilla Soup
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon red chiles, ground
3/4 teaspoon basil leaves, dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
15 ounce can tomato puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
10 6 inch diameter corn tortillas, cut into 1/2 inch strips
2 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
Garnishes:
avocado Slices
shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cook and stir onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil in 4 quart Dutch oven until onion is tender. Stir in broth, bell pepper, ground red chiles, basil, salt and pepper and tomato puree. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Heat 1/2 cup oil in 10 inch skillet until hot. Cook tortilla strips in oil until light golden brown, 30 to 60 seconds; drain. Divide tortilla strips and chicken among 6 bowls; pour broth over chicken. Top with cheese and avocado slices.
Carrot Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
5 whole cloves
4 cups canned vegetable broth or water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of sugar
1/4 cup chilled whipping cream
chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic and cloves and sauté until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups broth. Cover and simmer until carrots are very soft, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Remove cloves from broth and discard. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to same saucepan. Mix in lemon juice and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Thin to desired consistency with more broth. Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Whisk cream in medium bowl just until slightly thickened, about 10 seconds. Stir soup over medium heat until heated through. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle cream over. Top with parsley. Serves 6.
Bean Soup
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
3 1/2 tablespoons oil
5 3/4 cups water
1 pound great northern beans
Soak beans in water overnight. Sauté ham, onion, and celery in oil. Add to beans. Cook approximately 3 hours. About 20 minutes before done, add salts and pepper. Remove 2 cups of beans, mash and return to beans. Heat through.
Jonathan Curiel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Lounes Matoub, the beloved Berber singer, was known for d... Berber musician Moh Alileche, who lives in Berkeley, knew...
A little more than 10 years ago, Merzouk Allache was in his Berkeley apartment talking on the telephone with a friend, Lounes Matoub. Allache was worried for Matoub. Both men were singers who vocalized about their native Algeria, but Matoub was known as the most outspoken singer of his generation - someone whose rhetorical lyrics prompted death threats, a shooting that put him in the hospital and a kidnapping that spirited Matoub away for two weeks until he was finally released.
"He said, 'I love you like a brother; anything I can do for you, please let me know,' " Allache remembers Matoub saying from Algeria. "I told him, 'Yes, do me this: Watch out. Take care of yourself. That's the biggest favor you can do.' He was a fatalist. He said, 'If I have to die, I die.' "
A few months after their conversation, Matoub was dead at 42. A gunman (or gunmen) shot the car he was driving with almost 100 bullets. For the funeral service in his native village, which thousands of people attended, Matoub's body was draped in the Algerian flag. On Sunday in Berkeley, Allache will perform at a commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the singer's death. Matoub's life and death are impossible to discuss without addressing the subject of Berbers, the native people of Algeria, of whom Matoub was one.
For decades, the Berbers have struggled to have their rights - and their language - recognized by Algeria's government. Though Berbers in Algeria (and across North Africa) have long adopted Islam as a religion, they are not Arabs, and have resisted any attempts to marginalize their culture. In Algeria, Matoub was openly critical of the government's treatment of Berbers, and openly trumpeted the country's Berber history. One of Matoub's first popular songs, "The Lion," profiled Berber revolutionary Ramdane Abane, an Algerian independence leader in the anti-colonial movement against France, who was assassinated in 1957. Matoub songs accused the Algerian government of mistreating and killing Berbers.
Allache and other friends of Matoub believe the government had him murdered for his outspokenness. Others believe that radical Islamists - like those who kidnapped Matoub in 1994 - carried out his killing, which has never been solved. In the Berber region of Algeria (which is the southernmost, mountainous part of the country), Matoub is a martyr - a Martin Luther King-like figure whose image is everywhere. "There is not a single cafe, restaurant or business," says Allache, "that doesn't have a poster of Lounes Matoub."
Matoub's music is also played everywhere in southern Algeria - and throughout France, where millions of French Algerians live. In the United States, Matoub's music is a staple of many world music afficionados, who gravitate to songs that veer from free-form folksy to studio-produced pop. Matoub, who made 36 albums, played the mondol, an instrument similar to the mandolin. He sang almost exclusively in Tamazight, the Berber language. YouTube features scores of Matoub videos and tributes, which show the singer in his various states of performance, including stadium shows. Part of Matoub's appeal was his infectious playing style - on stage, he was constantly smiling, joking, cajoling, storytelling, anything that moved him. He was like Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie rolled into a politicized Berber musician, and like those three American performers, Matoub was a poetic songwriter. In one song, Matoub described the mountains near his childhood village as "my soul; the mountains saw me grow up - they are the mountains that protected me."
Whether he performed at stadiums or smaller venues, Matoub never took a fee, says Allache, who knew the singer for almost 30 years. Instead, the money went to causes he supported. Matoub, who grew up in poverty, made his living from sales of his albums - which made him wealthy. During Matoub's 1993 visit to the Bay Area, he went to San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood and, on the spur of the moment, bought a $1,500 leather jacket.
"You know how artists are," says Allache, who plays the guitar. "They like to dress up."
Two months ago, Allache visited Matoub's grave, which is located by his old village home in Taourit-Moussa. One of Matoub's songs was titled, "Today I Exist, Tomorrow I'm Not Sure." Allache, 47, talks about Matoub as if he's still alive, using the present tense to say that Matoub "thinks of himself as Algerian first, then Berber."
(Though Berbers use the word "Berber" to describe themselves, the word is related to "barbarians," and Berbers often prefer other descriptions, such as "Imazighen" or "Amazigh.")
Events like Sunday's in Berkeley keep the memory of Matoub alive for others who may not have known the singer the way Allache did. In the past week, Matoub events have been held around the world, including Paris, where the mayor wants to dedicate a street to the singer.
"He wanted to spread the truth," says Moh Alileche, who, like Allache, is a Bay Area Berber musician who knew Matoub for years. "That's the reason people like him so much."
A commemoration of Algerian singer Lounes Matoub, who was killed 10 years ago, will be held from 6:30-10 p.m. Sunday at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. (at Spruce), Berkeley. The event, which features music, video tributes and more, is free. For more information, e-mail amazigh_group@yahoo.com.
To hear music by Matoub, go to links.sfgate.com/ZDYG.
E-mail Jonathan Curiel at jcuriel@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/06/28/DD5611FM0N.DTL
The Moroccan government has been praised for its efforts in boosting the country's tourism industry.
ClickAfrique said the development of travel and tourism in Morocco has been at the top of the government's agenda throughout the last few years.
This, it said, has led to it introducing rules and regulations which support and encourage growth in the industry.
ClickAfrique commented: "The Moroccan government prioritizes the development of the tourism industry in the country."
However, it has suggested that more could be done to improve the country's transport and tourism infrastructure.
The media outlet was speaking after the World Economic Forum rated it as one of the top performers in Africa in terms of developing its holiday sector.
Morocco attracted a record number of people last year, as about 7.4 million tourists chose to visit places such as Marrakesh and Tangier.
The government is currently aiming to boost annual visitor numbers to 10 million by 2010.
from
http://www.ready2invest.co.uk/news-and-publications/news-articles/morocco-praised-for-developing-tourism-sector-270608.aspx