Comments on: Qari'a: Not Just a Sura

By: ANMB

ANMB — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:36:53 +0000

Dear Melinda,

Are you familiar with the work of Dr. Anne K. Rasmussen? An excerpt from her site below:

Research

Rasmussen’s research and publications encompass three related interests: Music and culture in the Middle East, with a special interest in the Arab diaspora, American musical multiculturalism, and gender, politics and religion in Indonesia. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Indonesia, her book “Women’s Voices, the Recited Qur’an and Islamic Musical Arts in Indonesia” is under contract with the University of California Press. Her continuing teaching and research on Music and Culture in the Middle East and Arab world culminated most recently in the 5th edition of the popular text Worlds of Music, Edited by Jeff Titon, which includes her new chapter “The Arab World” (Schirmer 2008). Her interest in Arab American music and community and American musical multiculturalism is represented most significantly in the book Multicultural Musics of America that she co-edited with Kip Lornell (Schirmer 1997). She has also been involved in the production of a four compact disc recordings.

Honors, Prizes, and Awards

Rasmussen was a Fulbright senior scholar in Indonesia and a scholar in residence at Cornell University. She is the recipient of the Jaap Kunst Prize for the best article published in the field of Ethnomusicology in 2001 and received a Phi Beta Kappa Award for excellence in teaching. She has served on the board of the Society for Ethnomusicology and is quite active on the conference circuit. She has been invited as a distinguished speaker at a number of universities and conferences and is very involved in programming a diverse array of performers and scholars at the college. She has hosted three conferences at William and Mary. She is also the winner of the “William and Mary Raft Debate” and invites anyone to her office to see the handsome Raft Debate plaque that hangs on her wall!

http://www.wm.edu/as/music/directory/rasmussen_a.php

P.S. If you email me directly, I will forward the ward-winning article to you, insha’Allah.

By: Samira

Samira — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:36:00 +0000

Update: The tape is discontinued. I’m pissed. If anyone can hook me up with some information it would be appreciated.

By: Melinda

Melinda — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 03:36:00 +0000

Thanks for information, Mezzo!

By: Mezzo

Mezzo — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:13:00 +0000

To answer your question about Southeast Asia:
Southeast Asia is famous for having a smaller gender divide, historically, and in the present day. In the past, it was rare for women to wear the hijab - (more commonly referred to as the tudung here). Southeast Asia also has the Minangkerbau, an Islamic matriachal society. Historians have noted that the Southeast Asian countries, partially due to lack of manpower, simply could not envisage a world where the women did not work alongside the men, which led to a comfortable acceptance of women in the public sphere. In fact, in certain parts of Indonesia, girls were more valued than boys.

Over the recent years, there are parts that have become more conservative, thanks to Arabic influence. However, it's hard to override 500 years of relative gender equality. (RELATIVE gender equality, not perfect equality(.

By: Samira

Samira — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:52:00 +0000

Assalaamualaikum-

I actually just ordered a tape off of
Soundvision featuring Hajjah Rahman bint Hajj Abdul Rahman and Hajjah Ruqayah bint Sulung-Amin. I’ll let you know what I think!

By: Shawna

Shawna — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:42:00 +0000

I’ve noticed that post-9/11 documentaries on Islam usually have a woman reciting Qur’an and/or givng the call to prayer, and no mention is ever made of it being a woman that does it. But I do find it sad that it’s such a big deal. Some of the most moving recitation I’ve heard has been by women at bridal showers.