'Heavy Metal Islam'
We posted a photo of some books about Islam that found their way into the religion editor's in-box a few days ago, an odd and revealing mix about what's hitting the store shelves. Today, we get a peek between the pages of one of them, Mark LeVine's "Heavy Metal Islam":
Heavy metal musicians in the Islamic world are not typical careerists but musical revolutionaries putting everything at risk for little payoff beyond dreams of free expression. The price has been high, writes LeVine. Morocco initially repressed the scene, convicting 14 metal fans in 2003 as Satanists recruiting "for an international cult of devil worship." In 1997, more than 100 players and fans were jailed in Egypt, where the grand mufti demanded they repent or be executed. (They were eventually released.) That same year in Iran, homes were raided and metal fans arrested.
The full LAT review is here.
Meanwhile, J. Hubers left this comment:
Wouldn't it be better to actually recommend some thoughtful books on Islam, ones that could help people understand what Islam is actually about? There are many. Unfortunately the popular press is more interested in sensationalism, so people read this dribble instead.
For those who are actually interested in discovering something approximating the truth about Islam I would recommend: Islam: Religion, History and Civilization by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University.
Done.
-- Veronique de Turenne
