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Monday Mixtape: Tunes that Make You Go Act (A Special Ramadan Edition)

Music hardly exists in a vacuum. Like an interconnected web, each tune, each track released to the world came from somewhere and leads to something else. At Aslan Media, we recognize that very few albums come to us without influence, and it’s those artists who walked the road before that helped shape the styles and expressions of the music artists we profile today.

To show that music, in its purest form, is an expression that knows no physical, cultural, societal or economic boundaries, Aslan Media is proud to bring you Monday Mixtape, a regular new feature where profiled artists on this site share with us the tracks that inspire and influence who and where they are as music artists. The genres covered by these playlists are limitless, as are the artists they include, which can include those from countries outside the Middle East that carry universal messages found in every region of the world.

When we originally began compiling suggested tracks for a Ramadan series of Mixtape, our aim was to use this special month as a springboard in providing readers with music that both inspires and reflects the views and practices of various Muslim artists. What we quickly found is that like anything that holds a personal ideal or commitment, belief is not simply triggered by an on-off switch, but rather situates itself on an ever-growing continuum, each variegated form of commitment just as valid as all the others.

For many, belief is a shared moral compass that brings people together in both times of distress and celebration. In honor of Ramadan, and the sacrifices we all make for whatever we believe in, this Mixtape is deliberately open-ended, allowing each artist to redefine his/her interpretation of Islam as not necessarily religion, but as trust, loyalty, action, consolation, teacher… and to describe spiritual fulfillment in songs that are not necessarily about faith.

Take a look at our first installment:

Good Lord - Brother Ali

Watch the video here

The song “Good Lord” by Brother Ali is inspirational to me because I can relate to it from the viewpoint of being and MC and a Muslim born and raised in the West. As for what it means to be a Muslim, this song touches on the human aspect of Islam and how it relates to everyday life.

- Sphinx, rapper, Arabian Knightz

Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

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“Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson has always inspired me on different levels… it transcends religion so everyone can relate. It's a feel good song with a conscious message - if you want to change the world start by changing yourself, look in the mirror and work on your own faults instead of judging others. Thought Michael wasn't a Muslim, the message of this song encapsulates the struggle we as humans face everyday: the struggle with our worst enemy, our own lower self.

- Jehad Dabab, rapper, The Brothahood

30 Youm - Karim Mohsen

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The Hunt – Niyaz

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I love "The Hunt" because of its rhythm and classical Persian melody. It reminds me that God is everything and everywhere, from the "grace of the deer" to the "flight of the pigeon."

- Fatemeh Fakhraie, writer, I Speak for Myself

The Wind - Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam

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A few years ago, a dear friend of mine lost his father to cirrhosis. Both of us were also coming off a spell of bad choices. We drove up to the mountain, chased the stars for a while, then drove back down listening to “The Wind” on repeat for over an hour and, I swear, we began to float. Amen.

- Orphan Factory, singer-songwriter

Ramadan - Naser Almughani

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You Came to Me - Sami Yusuf

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- From Aslan Media reader Nadia Ahmed

Please - U2

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One of my favorite tunes that calls people to action in its unique way, and I think that fact that Bono & The Edge do try to change the world themselves makes it even better for this Mixtape.

- Mosno Al Moseeki, singer-songwriter

Bad Reputation - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

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I'm a firm believer in not being judged for my ideals alone, but how I act on them in bettering both my surrounding culture and myself. Perhaps this is why the punk rock ethos has always spoken stronger to me than most musical genres. "Bad Reputation," though certainly not a religious song, speaks to me on this socially conscious level through my commitment to Islamic feminism, that is, full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in both public and private life. This includes questioning patriarchal interpretations of the Qur'an, regardless of how unfavorably doing so may reflect on us amongst those who don't agree. Overall, the moderate Mideast community hasn't been doing a great job of addressing the abuses of women in the name of Islam, perhaps because we're too afraid that doing so will inadvertently reinforce misogynistic stigmas that already thrive thanks to Islamist extremism and Islamophobia. Yet as the Arab Spring continues to show us, you can't have social and democratic development in the Islamic world without first actively furthering the causes of feminist equality, and that starts with throwing out antiquated ideas of patriarchal tradition and female honor.

- Safa Samiezade’-Yazd, Aslan Media Arts, Culture and Music Editor

This World - Quadir Lateef

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“This World” is a song that reminds of remembering the afterlife; it’s very easy to get caught up, so please DONT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WORLD!

- Quadir Lateef, rapper

Hamdulillah - The Narcicyst, featuring Shadia Mansour

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While showing us the inequality of life in the Middle East, this song makes you feel thankful for what you have and the way you live and reminds you to say, "Ilhamdulillah.”

- Big Mo, rapper

*Photo Credits:

Brother Ali – Photo courtesy of Marcel van Leeuwen via Flickr

Niyaz – Photo courtesy of Audrey_sel via Flickr

Sami Yusuf – Photo courtesy of Rusaila Bazlamit via Flickr

Narcicyst – Photo courtesy of Thien V via Flickr

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