Unveiling popular music? : a study of how Muslim girls in Belfast negotiate gender and religion through popular music listening

• Main Author: Ossorio-Bermudez, Julissa
• Published: Queen's University Belfast 2011
• Subjects: 305.6974167
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.558177

Music within Islam has been a subject of dispute for centuries. Some believe that music is haram, or totally prohibited. Others believe that depending on its context and lyrics, it may be halal, or allowed. Gender plays an important role in this discussion, as sometimes concepts of femininity transmitted through Western popular music may go against particular Muslim ideals. Inspired by this debate, this thesis is an ethnographic analysis of a sixteen-month fieldwork experience that took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in which I explored how young Muslim females living in this city constructed and embodied their gender identity and religious identities through popular music. This research revolves around two key issues: the ways in which popular music mediated concepts of sexuality and femininity amongst Muslim teenagers and young women; and the extent to which their music listening choices affected and reflected who they were or were expected to be. The sample for this research included females between 13 and 47 years old, who were either born Muslims or converts. At a time when the number of young Muslims in Europe is constantly increasing and when more and more British nationals are converting to Islam, this research sheds light on the multiple negotiation processes young Muslim females in Belfast experience to make sense of their religious and gendered identities through their engagement with popular music.