Muslim Brotherhood forbidden art (1)

Mustafa Hamza

The controversy over the rule of art, in various Islamic groups, is renewed from time to time, especially when the opportunity is available. This coincided with the annual conference of the BA entitled “Art and Literature in the Face of Extremism” as one of Egypt’s soft power tools. What is rejected by Islamic currents of different, because of the sanctity of many of their arts, and take the permission of songs and other arts as an excuse to challenge the Egyptian state and its religion

Among these trends are the MB, which is divided into two streams, one of which does not deprive the songs, whether accompanied by the duo or the musician, and the second allows only the songs accompanied by the drum, and the prohibition of other instruments. However, the practical applications and technical practices of the Community were more informed.

The literature of the founder of the group, Hasan al-Banna, has no clear vision of art or a discussion of the rule of Islam except for two places: the first in the letter “Are we a people of the people”, in which he pointed out that art is not a way to reform the morals of the nation, The second place in the letter “Our Mission”, in which he explained that the progress of art did not bring happiness, calmness and reassurance, but the firmness of the MB literature that was written later, and the statements of the leaders of the group that Banna did not deny or prevent art, Despite the challenges of jurisprudence.

“When Banna founded his group – the MB – in 1928, art was one of the most important areas he identified for the movement of his group, which is of a comprehensive reformist nature,” the late scholar Hossam Tammam says in his book “Transformations of the Muslim Brotherhood” The programs of the formation of his group – which was legal at the time – “began with the religious anthem and the sacrament, which is presented in trips and parties, and even meetings of the private religious group.”

“Tammam”, which was written by Sheikh Ahmad Hassan al-Baqouri (Minister of Awqaf in July 1952 Revolution and then Minister of Awqaf in the United Arab Republic until 1959), was one of the most famous songs of the fifties and was closer to the hymn Religious, which broadcasts enthusiasm, and helps in the mobilization of rules and packaged on the revolutionary rhythm, echoed between his words an interesting interval says:

O Brotherhood brothers do not hesitate *** about your basin where the Prophet Mohammed

Praise be to Paradise and they went towards it *** in the call of Islam be strong and happy

Then came the seventies, which was the spring of the hymn, and spread this kind of songs in all areas, including weddings (Islamic)!, until he was at one of the wedding parties singer seeks to say: “Trembling ropes for men to hang”!, and sometimes They were chanting “to the Islam of the tournament”, and in it: “And make of our skulls for your glory peace”!

MB`S songs… From jihad to romance

This kind of jihadist hymns changed a lot in the 1980s, with the transformations witnessed by the entire Egyptian society, especially in the era of the late President Anwar Sadat. This shift in the quality of the songs led to a number of (Muslim) this period, spread in the nineties.

With the increase in the number of teams (Islamic) and the spread of the spread in different governorates of Egypt, moved the work of these teams from voluntary and free to professional and professional, accompanied by the gradual abandonment of these teams from the boycott of musical instruments, until they all use without preventing.

“Tammam” mentions in his book, p. 91 that these groups used professional musicians, who work with leading artists (such as music distributor Hassan Isha). Some of the bands introduced melodies and melodies to songs unrelated to “Islamism.” The Lebanese Christian Julia Boutros, and quoted another band Amr Diab’s song “How many years and I am inclined… In love I am busy with the mind,” and become on weight and melody in a song of her own says: “How many years I am the religion of Islam  … And my law I am a year and a Koran “But the popular children’s song” Papa Vin “turned into an Islamic song that says:” Muslim Fenn, “and rerun a band “Zahra al-Andalus” sang the song “Ali Dluna”, a famous song of Shamya, sang by the Lebanese singer Sabah, a new distribution, and saw all these songs decline the old enthusiastic tone of the songs of the Brotherhood.

In addition, the enthusiastic songs of the members of the bands were transformed into new musical pieces, which changed their enthusiasm to a different romantic color, as did the “Treasures” group, which re-sang the revolutionary classic “Raddy Ya Jibal”, but with a quiet voice Music in a romantic way.

A quick comparison between the old 1970s version and the new distribution of a song such as “Thawar”, to know how the tone and tone of the revolutionary jihadist, even in the classics of the Islamic anthem, shrunk to a minimum. “Islam is sweet and beautiful,” and another “dream”, such as the words “If a dream comes back, Islam will rule from the second” with its romantic and quiet tone!

It was natural in light of this development that the jihadi song went through, to show a new color of the joyous songs of the Brotherhood, which suits the atmosphere of joy and joy, instead of enthusiasm and jihad. The band “Al-Waad” launched an album called “Guzana and saved us from it” “Treasures” in this section: “Oh beauty, you beauty, you beauty  … Our bride lost in his lover!”

“Sundus” salutes MB celebrations

The most important feature of these groups was that they were men’s teams until the first female ensemble in 1996, Sundus, which released its first album in 2002, “Girls’ Uniform”, composed the same song as the seduction singer Maha Sabri. dancer role in the trilogy of Naguib Mahfouz, and composed by musician Sayed Darwish, the opening lines say: “O Lord on Phil and Jasmine O pass Hannah”, which replaced it with words, “Ze girls I’m from a small dream of Basha”, with the same tune the original song, and the members of the band who sang this Girls album in childhood, this band recently announced the joining of singer Shahinaz her after wearing the hijab!

These women’s fraternity groups initially arose voluntarily in some neighborhoods.

A group of women members of the ensemble go to the bride’s house to celebrate their wedding night, replacing the words of other famous songs with the same melody as a kind of imitation and imitation, Famous for the Egyptian singer Laila Nadhmi, who says: “My mother-in-law, Nayneh Elia Alia”, and replace these words with other words, and become “my mother-in-law, a faithful believer.”

The strangest thing is the slow dance where the bride dances with one of her friends, a quiet dance to the music, and allows the rest of the sisters to dance together, provided they are calm and in tune with the music.