Middle Eastern Culture: More Modern Than You Think
With the recent conflict in Syria and several other Middle Eastern countries, the concept of Arab culture and their values has been put under the microscope once again. With widespread violence protests happening, the culture and ideals of Islam has been often criticized, with terms like ‘savages’ and ‘animals’ being used to describe entire countries of people when only a small window of the culture is shown. While many negative and controversial practices of the region are often brought up, here are some parts of Arab culture that you may not see covered in the mainstream media.
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1. Qusai.
Saudi Arabia’s first popular rapper gained popularity in the middle east by combining clean lyrics with topics like women in middle eastern life which could be perceived as controversial since woman in his native country aren’t allowed to drive, let alone listen to popular music. After hosting the groundbreaking MTV Arabia show Hip Hop Na, Qusai was able to have have his first two albums chart at #1 in the middle east which helped land him a gig as the co-host of Arabs Got Talent.
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2. Hoba Hoba Spirit.
Formed out of Morocco in 1998, this rock fusion band combines modern forms of music like rock and reggae with the ancient Islamic music form called ‘Gnawa’. The group has become a massive hit in their native country and across the middle east for their unique sound that combines popular western rock themes with traditional Arab and African themes. Lyrics that are close to what is important to the youth culture like partying and politics bridge the gap even more from western music that may have a disconnect.
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3. The 99
Created by Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa after 9/11 as a way to to bring a more positive outlook on his culture, which had come under fire from people all around the world, ‘The 99’ follows 99 superheroes whose powers are based on the 99 virtues of Allah. After debuting in 2006, the comic became a worldwide hit with an animated series that started running in over 70 countries. The big break came in 2010 when D.C. Comics tem,aed up with them to create a six issue crossover featuring the likes of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman which won them praise from the President himself.
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3. Haifa Wehbe
One of the most popular singers in the Arab world, Haifa Wehbe made waves across the Middle East with the suggestive nature of her music, sex appeal, and provocative videos. The Lebanese singer has released four albums including her most recent one which reached #1 on the iTunes worldwide charts. Her performances have brought controversy to the region as some countries found her clothing too revealing and sexual. Wehbe continues to perform however and has even crossed over into acting in several Arabic films.
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4. Fahad Albutairi
After coming to Austin, Texas from Saudi Arabia for college, Albutairi found success at different open mic nights talking about being a middle eastern student coming over in a post 9/11 world. After returning to Saudi Arabia, he became the first Saudi to begin appearing on stage professionally on a regular basis which helped him attract 1,200 people to his first performance. He achieved even higher success by appearing alongside several Arab-American comedians on the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour during one of their tour stops in Bahrain. He’s since opened for several big-name comics as well as launching a highly successful YouTube show.
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5. Bassem Youssef
One of the biggest television stars in the Middle East, Youssef hosts Al Bernameg, the Egyptian version of John Stewart’s, The Daily Show. Youssef has parodied and mocked several high profile Egyptians, including several presidential candidates which is highly controversial in the Arab world. After skewering Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi during the political upheaval in Egypt, he was jailed on charges of insulting Islam and Morsi and Egypt but was released the next day on bail. The programs second season generated over 40 million T.V. viewers and 120 million YouTube views which resulted in Youssef and Stewart trading appearances on each others shows.
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