From Public Radio International
What would the US look like without Muslims?
That was my first reaction last week, after I heard about Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s proposal for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
Really though. What would my country look like if we turned Muslims away at the border? As someone who understands the world through pop culture, a few famous names came to mind.
First off, we would have to say goodbye to sports legends like Muhammad Ali, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. Malcolm X woud be absent from our history books. We wouldn’t have Aziz Ansari, who was raised as a Muslim. Or Dave Chappelle.
Oh, yeah, and no Zayn Malik. Yeah, you heard me right One Direction fans.
Malik is far from the only musician we would have to listen to from afar. That list is sprawling, and includes names like Ice Cube, Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson — among many others.
Here, then, is a guide to a few Muslim musicians based in the US (OK, and Canada, we cheated) who you should be listening to. Some may be familiar faces:
1. “Hamdullilah,” The Narcicyst (2009)
I’ve been listening to Yassin Alsalman nonstop since we interviewed him a few months ago. He was born in Dubai to Iraqi parents, and was raised in the United Arab Emirates and Canada.
His music — which deals a lot with the experience of being young, Arab and Muslim in a post-9/11 world — draws both hip-hop fans and peace activists alike.
Plus, he’s pretty hilarious.
Want an example? Check out the video for “P.H.A.T.W.A.” which is about being racially profiled at the airport. I challenge anyone to not smile at his deadpan delivery of the line “Iraq is the new black.”
2. “Take Me Home,” Brother Ali (2007)
This is one of those songs you listen to and realize everything is going to be okay.
Brother Ali is one of a kind. He converted to Islam when he was 15 years old growing up in Minneapolis. He speaks often about the role his faith plays in his music:
“Islam made me believe that all human beings are created with an intrinsic goodness and desire to connect with greater world,” he said in a recent interview with The Islamic Monthly. “When you start there, the possibilities are endless. If the core of who I am is rooted in the same divine reality as everyone else’s basic reality, then the more I am able to penetrate and express my innermost feelings, the more that I’ll be able to connect with everyone else.”
“Take Me Home,” which came out in 2007, is definitely one of his older and softer songs. Recently, he’s been much more political, grappling with racial and economic inequality. I put a few of my other favorites later in the playlist, so make sure to check them out.
