The Media Line talks to the rising stars and veterans of the Palestinian hip hop scene as the first Palestinian hip hop competition takes place in Ramallah.
Dam, That’s Palestinian Hip Hop
Over the past seven years, a musical phenomenon has been rising from the back streets of Israel’s predominantly Muslim towns, and sweeping the overcrowded Palestinian cities and refugee camps of the West Bank and Gaza. It is Palestinian rap or hip-hop music, an exotic blend of Arabic melodies, Western beat, and fluid lyrics recited in English, Arabic, and, quite often, Hebrew.
We look at the most famous Israeli- Arab rap group performs worldwide.
In the Canadian province of Quebec a furious public debate has erupted over Muslim women who wear the niqab – face veil.
Out of over 200,000 Muslims in Montreal in Quebec, only a few dozen women wear the niqab, but under a proposed new legislation they could be barred from receiving public services.
Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reports from Montreal where the debate has divided the Muslim community. (18 April 2010)
Charlotte Buchen traveled to Pakistan to report on traditional and modern music as a 2010 IRP Fellow. In this video, Buchen discusses a Pakistan beyond terrorism by exploring the religious and popular music the country produces.
However, Buchen found, violence does play a significant role in the lives of musicians, who find it increasingly difficult to make a living when the shrines at which they perform are being targeted by extremists.
In France, women are now officially banned from wearing full-face veils in public, after a controversial law came into effect. While the government says the move is aimed at helping Muslims adapt to the local community, critics accuse President Sarkozee of persecuting Islam, to win back votes from the right. But in a country with Europe’s biggest Muslim population, the law risks igniting social tensions, as Daniel Bushell reports.
“We must prepare ourselves for the reality that in 30 years there will be 50 million Muslims living in America.”
DJ Academe loves bullshit, especially offensive bullshit.
The video presents mostly legitimate fertility and migration stats showing decline in Europe and growth among Muslims. The narrator’s dire tone indicates exactly how we should feel about too many Muslims. (Not good.)
The stats are presented with a laughable framework based vaguely “on research.” According to this video, no culture in history has ever maintained itself after falling to a fertility rate of 1.9. Several European countries have fertility rates below 1.9, and Muslims have high fertility rates, so Muslims are taking over the world from Europeans (or Christians or white people or something).
This argument is based on so many distortions of demography, history, and culture that dissecting them would make for a great homework assignment.
What role have Arab women played in the popular uprisings around the Middle East and what stake do they really have in their countries’ political future?
