Muslimhiphop.com: Constructing Muslim Hip Hop Identities on the Internet

摘要

Althoughmusicisnotclearlypermissible(halal)norprohibited(haram)inIslam,manyyoungMuslimstodaymakehiphopmusicandalsoportrayMuslimidentitiesintheirlyrics.ThearticlediscussesacasestudyofhowMuslimidentityandMuslimhiphopareconstructeddiscursivelyonanAmericanwebsiteentitledMuslimhiphop.com.ThesitefeaturesMuslimartistsfrommulticulturalbackgroundsfromseveraldifferentcountries.Thetheoreticalframeworkofsocialconstructivismalongwithdiscourseanalysisguidethestudy:identityisseenascontextuallyandsociallyconstructed.br/Accordingtothewebsite’sofficialstance,ifthelyricsandtheartistsfollowtheprinciplesofIslam,thenthemusicispermissible.Islamichiphopisarguedtobeapositivealternativetomainstreamhiphop,tostrengthenapositiveMuslimidentityespeciallyamongMuslimyouthbyteachingIslamandtoenhanceapositivesocialchangeforexamplebyfightingstereotypes.However,itbecomesevidentthatmanyMuslimartistsstruggletointegrateIslamwithartisticcreativityaswellascommercialsuccesswithreligiousbeliefs.MuslimswhomakeandlistentoIslamichiphophavetocontinuouslydefendthemusictoMuslimswhoshunitasforbiddenandtonon-Muslimswhofeelestrangedbyitsreligiousness.Muslimidentityisconstantlynegotiated,multidimensionalandsituational.