#FaithGoesPop - SPECIAL Sports Extra Edition

May 5, 2015

The goal of #FaithGoesPop is to pay attention to, sight, and comment on the many ways that religion and pop culture cross paths, intermesh, and come into conflict. The hope is that our exploration of “Faith Pop” would be broad enough to include the ways religion is re-appropriated in popular culture and how popular culture is re-allocated by religious actors and entities. To do this successfully I called on many of you to sight your “Faith Pop” and let me know when you saw #FaithGoesPop via Facebook, Twitter, & e-mail.

You continue to do well, don't stop! Keep Tweeting & sending me the sightings as you find them.

Now, in honor of NBA/NHL playoffs & the recent 'May the 4th' festivities, we've got sports faith & special Star Wars saints & gods sightings, plus more. Read on below #FaithGoesPopanistas

Star Wars Icons -- May the force be with you

St. Ackbar: patron saint of Ewoks, traps, rebels.

Some students give teachers apples. Other students paint elaborate icons of your favorite Star Wars galaxy heroes. Only one of them gets an "A" in the class.

Dr. Annette Yoshiko Reed (@AnnetteYReed) shared a painting from her grad student that depicted Admiral Ackbar as St. Gail Ackbar, in Greek Orthodox icon form along with his distinctive salmon-colored skin, high-domed head and large fish-like eyes peering into the believers soul even as the believer peers into his Calamari presence.

A member of the amphibious Mon Calamari species, St. Ackbar was the foremost military commander of the Rebel Alliance and led major combat operations against the Galactic Empire. He is most famously known for recognizing it was a trap on the moon of Endor.

Now, if Ackbar is a saint, what does that make Yoda? A deity, apparently. The well-parodied ichthus bumper decals have another competitor out there beyond the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Darwin fish. Nowadays, there's Yoda to spar with for space on people's bumpers (read more about "bumper sticker religion"). If you think the Bible is hard to understand wait until you open up any number of Yoda's quixotic parables. Indeed, instead of asking 'What Would Jesus Do?' we would instead be pondering the implications of 'Do What Would Yoda?' (DWWY)

Pastor Calls on God for Lightning to Strike

Good, good - but would you pray for the Bucs...there gonna need it this season! — Good, good - but would you pray for the Bucs...there gonna need it this season!

We've all done it. When it comes down to crunch time at the end of the season, we've snuck in a little prayer to the "big guy upstairs" and hoped that he too might be a fan of our favorite sports team. We've even often to make sacrifices if our team might win the championship.

"Please God, if INSERT TEAM HERE wins, I'll start going to church again."

Well, now Rev. Tyler Moore of Our Savior Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg, FL took it to the next level and started posting encouraging, optimistic, signs in support of his NHL team -- the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Moore, a fellow Concordia University Irvine alumni along with his wife Cassie, told Yahoo! Sports' Puck Daddy:

“I’ve been at this church in St. Pete now, going on two years, and I really wanted to do it when the Lightning made the playoffs last year, but as you recall maybe, it was right before Easter, so I couldn’t get away with a sign right before Easter, so this year the timing worked out,” he said. “I’m having a blast with it. The congregation, they’re laughing a little bit because they love it. It’s their goofy pastor having a good time with it.”

— Rev. Tyler Moore, Lightning/Jesus fan

Devotional song to the Honey Badger

Of course, church signs are one thing. Devotional ballads are another. Nick "The Honey Badger" Cummins finally brought his weird, but wonderful, commentary to the U.S. with his latest post-game antics, which The Huffington Post called "The Most Confusing Interview Ever." For us rugby fans, "the Badge" is already a "bloody legend" (even though he is an Aussie), but now his loyal fan base is worldwide as SB Nation translated lines like, "It was quite an emotional loss, but jeez there's a bee's wanger it in and we're not far off" referring to the Western Force's (his rugby team) many close calls this season as they are winners of the wooden spoon (lowest on the table) so far this Super Rugby season.

As Australian reporter James Dator wrote, "[t]here aren't enough adjectives to accurate[ly] convey just how awesome Nick 'Honey Badger' Cummins is. The Australian rugby star is known for his down-to-earth demeanor and post-game interviews that confuse anyone on the planet who isn't Australian."

But did you know that he also has his own devotees. Looking to the man known as "the Poet of Perth" and the "rugby sage with golden curls," his interview tidbits are looked to here as parabolic pearls of wisdom come down from the footie gods. Need proof? Just watch this devotional song to "The Honey Badger."

Lord, have mercy.

All Hail JJ Watt, Savior of the Texans

As with the Bieber photo from last month's #FaithGoesPop sightings, you can't un-see this.

Rugby not your thing? More into American Gridiron -- the NFL? Then JJ Watt may be your man. Not only is JJ Watt a defensive giant for the Houston Texans, he's the best son in the world and a guy who makes kid's wildest dreams come true (and many of their mother's dreams as well). Simply put, JJ Watt is awesome.

But is he divine?

Last year, an anonymous JJ Watt disciple sent me this pic of a homemade JJ Watt altar. Wow.

Why not have him enshrined? He almost single handedly won every game for the Texans last year. Of course, Texans fans will be praying to Watt, Wotan, or Woto next year to redeem their team after a dismal 2014 season.

Muslim comedy to fight ISIS

To switch gears, and get more serious, Bhakti M. shared the story of Humza Arshad. The London-based comedian and creator/star of "The Diary of a Badman," is household name among Muslims in the UK. Now, he has teamed up with London's Metropolitan Police "to steer vulnerable young Muslims away from extremism."

While the BuzzFeed article makes it seem as if every kid Arshad performs to is on the verge of violent acts of terror, the comedian is part of a wider effort among Muslims worldwide to combat ISIS, and other terror groups, with comedy.

Laughs, not bombs.

Comedy, not tragedy.

ISIS is renowned for its all too clever use of online videos, social media, and technology to advance its cause. It's only fair if those who vehemently disagree with al-Dawla al-Islamiyya's interpretation of Islam should fight back with the same means. It all goes to show that despite the claims of some anti-Muslim pundits, Islam is not only conducive to modernity, but its adherents are positively masterful at utilizing its tools.

Hip Hop Last Supper

While in Austin, TX at Hops & Grain Brewery I was having a conversation with the tap-man about religion, beer, and spirituality. Both the IBUs and the conversation were getting heavy, so I took a break to walk around the brewery and came across this painting.

The Hip Hop Last Supper, featuring Snoop Lion in the center flanked by artists such as Tupac Shakur, Kanye West, Dr. Dre, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard at a table set with 40s, fried chicken, and Mary Jane buds. It makes a statement, to say the least.

This Spring, I've been taking an EdX course via Rice University X taught by Dr. Anthony Pinn and Professor Bun B called "Religion and Hip Hop Culture." As part of the course, we've discussed how religion can be framed as "the quest for complex subjectivity" and defined that way hip hop can not only contest, and augment, religion, but also serve as a replacement for it.

If we were ever in need of evidence for it, this painting might be proof.

How Jesus is Saving Primetime

Thanks also to the sleuths out there who have read previous posts and keep sending in relevant sightings.

After my post talking about biblical movies and TV being "the new digital cathedrals" Sandy B sent me this photo of the show A.D. gracing the cover of T.V. Guide with the lede, "How Jesus is saving primetime." Nice sighting Sandy!

Be sure to keep sending the #FaithGoesPop sightings in via Twitter, Facebook, or e-mail and be sure to use the hash-tag #FaithGoesPop.

Peace.

Hip-Hop Hijabis, Mos Def, & Muslim Rap Music Culture

March 31, 2015

The Roots, the band accompanying Jimmy Fallon every night on The Tonight Show, are known for their neo-soul infused hip-hop beats and a jazzy, eclectic, approach to their own original music and every song they cover. On their first commercially successful album Things Fall Apart, from the song, "The Spark," the lyrics rhyme:

“Might act up, but I still can pass dawa
I’m usin’ new ways to try to reach these better days
Instead of tryin’ to take you under I just make you wonder
I still fast, make salaat, and pay zakat
I didn’t make Hajj yet, but that’s my next project
Livin’ two lives, one of turn and one with true lies
Keeping up hope knowing he’s answering to my du’as.”

— The Roots, "The Spark" -- Things Fall Apart

Dawa, salaat, zakat, Hajj, and du'a. This is the language of Islam. Why is it in a Roots song you ask? Roots leader and co-founder Tariq "Black Thought" Luqman Trotter belongs to The Nation of Gods and Earths (a.k.a. "The Five-Percent Nation") founded by former Nation of Islam member Clarence 13X and a major influence in the hip-hop scene in NYC and beyond. Malik B., who left the group over a decade ago, is a Sunni Muslim.

The Muslim influence in The Roots music is evident, but it is not unique. Hip-hop giants such as Mos Def, Q-Tip, Nas, Wu Tang Clan, and Erik B and Raqim have have all featured rhymes infused with Islamic terms and themes. Some of them are faithful Sunnis, Five-percenters, or members of the Nation. You could add to this list of notable Muslim rap mavens the up-and-coming UK duo, "Poetic Pilgrimage."

*Follow @kchitwood for more on religion & culture.

Featured in the Al Jazeera documentary "Witness: Hip Hop Hijabis," Muneera Rashida and Sukina Abdul Noor are Poetic Pilgrimage, the UK's first female Muslim hip-hop duo. Featured in this documentary is "their personal, spiritual and physical journey" as they tour diverse communities in the UK and in Morocco. The documentary illustrates how their music, and public performance, is not fully accepted in the Muslim community (some view women performing at all as haram or "sinful"). At the same time, the women are able to ride the ups-and-downs, the beats and drops, to discover new things about their Muslim practice and beliefs, their feminist sensibilities, & their Jamaican roots.

Sukina gave voice to how hip-hop helps her articulate her faith. She said of the music project that her and Muneera share, "[w]e are searching for something that is ours, that is authentically Islam.” The women of Poetic Pilgrimage are not alone on this journey. Mos Def, who reigned over the underground rap scene in the 1990s and is one of the most influential emcees of the last two decades is a devout Sunni Muslim. He repeatedly spits his aqidah (creed) on the tracks he writes and produces.

As point of fact, in the song "Wahid" Mos Def flips the egotism and self-aggrandization ubiquitous in hip-hop to point the finger away from the rap artist who is "the one," to aim the finger skyward and direct the minds of those listening to "the Only One" in the sense of the Muslim declaration of faith -- the shahada (Al-Wahid is one of the 99 names of Allah -- God).

His lyrics, bookended by the adhan -- call to prayer -- go like this:

“When...all...is...said...and...done...there’s...only...one....Fret not ghetto world guess what
God is on your side the devil is a lie
The Empire holds all the gold and the guns
But when all is said and done there’s only...ONE.”

— Mos Def, "Wahid"

Mos Def is not alone. Common, rhyming with Cee-Lo in "One Day It'll All Make Sense," sang:

“Koran and the Bible, to me they all vital
And got truth within ‘em, gotta read them boys
You just can’t skim ‘em, different branches of belief
But one root that stem ‘em, but people of the venom try to trim ‘em
And use religion as an emblem
When it should be a natural way of life
Who am I or they to say to whom you pray ain’t right,
That’s who got you doin right and got you this far,
Whether you say “in Jesus name” or “Al hum du’Allah””

— Common, "One Day It'll All Make Sense"

Hip-hop helps many give voice to their faith, Islamic or otherwise. H. Samy Alim in his essay "A New Research Agenda: Exploring the Transglobal Hip Hop Umma," (in Muslim Networks: From Hajj to Hip Hop eds. Miriam Cooke and Bruce B. Lawrence) went so far as to make the point that the “transglobal hip hop umma” functions as a borderless network of Muslim faithful that provides a lyrical embodiment of the oral history and force of Islam in which the metrical and rhapsodical flows parallel the poetic recitation of the Qur'an.

Hamza and Suliman Perez, as featured in "New Muslim Cool."

Yet, beyond a shared expressive element hip-hop provides an active vehicle for social protest as part of the "transglobal Islamic underground." Drawing on a history of giving voice to the faith in elegaic prose and poetry, Muslim hip-hop artists now engage in lyrical activism by studying Islam, applying it to their lives, and sharing & spreading their views to build an Islamic "class" consciousness focused on explicitly Islamic notions of piety, justice, and peace. Muneera and Sukina form an active part of this "transglobal Islamic underground" as they seek to combine faith and feminism. Indeed, they attempt to demarcate the boundaries between putting on a show for pleasure and a showcase for pondering the faith. Bemoaning the performance act of the game Muneera exclaimed, "it's not supposed to be entertainment, it's supposed to make you think." For the "hip-hop hijabis" rap music becomes not only a vehicle for their expression of Islam, but also a way to confront, and tackle, the issues pertinent to them as Muslim women: modesty and stagecraft, sexuality and solemnity.

Part of this protestation is by proclaiming their racial and/or ethnic identity alongside their religious character. Whether it be Poetic Pilgrimage expressing their Africanity through Muslim infused tunes or Hamza and Suliman Perez from "New Muslim Cool" embodying their Puerto Rican identity, Islamic faith, and street smarts in fresh-pressed lyrics for youth in Pittsburgh, rap becomes a way for worlds to merge for many Muslim musicians. Attempting to forge an identity as "quadruple minorities" Latino Muslims like Hamza and Suliman Perez use hip-hop as a conduit for the imaginative work of identity construction, crafting a hybrid identity that is local to their city-streets yet connected to the global umma, one that is both Latina/o and Muslim, one that is both soulful in its beats and spiritually infused in its lyrics.

James Samuel Logan wrote for Sightings from the University of Chicago's Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion of how rap is central to the African-American's struggle following #Ferguson and other "terrorizing deaths" of blacks in U.S. city-streets and bayou backwaters. He wrote, "Hip Hop artists offer an important, costly and often unsanitized embrace of Black subaltern 'otherness,' an embrace which cyphers problematically-yet-hopefully toward justice and love in this particular place and circumstance of time." This force of hip-hop is most evident in the burgeoning Muslim rap scene that emerged out of NYC in the 1970s and 80s alongside the Nation of Islam and the Five Percent Nation's materializing influence.

Even so, on the borderland between hip-hop and culture, in the streets of struggle and subaltern dissent there can be tension and bloodshed. In attempting to forge a musical and spiritual fusion of faith and hip-hop heritage there can be conflict.

As Mette Reitzel, the "Hip-Hop Hijabis" filmmaker, reflected, the merging of rap music and Muslim sensibilities is not utopian. She said:

“By inhabiting the intersection between cultures whose values on the surface seem so conflicting, Poetic Pilgrimage challenge a plethora of dearly held convictions from all sides of the cultural spectrum. Many Western feminists believe that promoting women’s rights from within an Islamic framework is a futile exercise, while in the eyes of some Muslims, female musicians are hell-bound. Within the Afro-Caribbean community, a Muslim convert may be considered a “sell-out”, while cynical music industry insiders suspect that their conversion is merely a clever marketing ploy in a saturated market.”

— Mette Reitzel, Al Jazeera

Poetic Pilgrimage performing live on stage.

In addition, some wonder whether the expressive, and sometimes profane and/or salacious subject matters and language of hip-hop are conducive to faith-filled utterances. Yet, speaking to critics of the more chauvinistic, secular, and sacrilegious sensibilities found within hip-hop music and culture, Anthony Pinn (teaching RELiX "Religion and Hip Hop Culture") wrote in his essay "Making a World with a Beat:"

The sexism expressed by Saint Paul and other biblical figures and the homophobia that marks both testaments have not resulted in a huge theological backlash requiring the destruction of the Bible as a viable sacred text. The same hermeneutic of multiple meanings may extend to rap lyrics and their creators. This is not to say that that these artists should not be accountable, or should not be critiqued with regard to behavior and opinions. It simply means that we should recognize the often problematic relationship between theological pronouncements and arguments, and practice that plagues the history of religion in and outside hip-hop culture.

Finally, hip hop can serve as a means of rebellion in a negative sense, in the form of what is popularly known as "radicalization." Multiple reports and articles have drawn connections, if only tangential, between rap and the "radicalization" of jihadi activists. Whether rap as recruiting tool or hip-hop serving as a "gateway drug to future terrorism" there are some interlocutors who worry that rap music may serve as a precursor for terrorist violence. Although not proposing that everyone who listens to hip-hop will become "radicalized," commentators fear that rap may create a culture of "grievance" and pushing back against a perceived system of oppression.

Most definitely, there is much left to study in the intersection and remixing of Islam and hip-hop. Whether it be the music of Mos Def, the journey of Poetic Pilgrimage, or the tensions that exist between faith and lurid lyrics this emerging field of research is ripe. Specifically, it is an important gateway to understanding how hip hop is giving voice not only to Muslims, but other faithful as well. Furthermore, it sheds light on how hip hop, and its community, in a sense, provides it's own spirituality and religious community. More than anything, this field of research helps refocus ideas about what it means to be Muslim in the contemporary global scene (i.e. they are not just terrorists and "radicals"). It helps provide a picture of Islam broadly conceived that not only includes hijabs and Hajj, but hip-hop in all its vibrancy as well.

*To learn more, I highly suggest Hisham Aidi's Rebel Music: Race, Empire, and the New Muslim Youth Culture or Anthony Pinn's Noise and Spirit: The Religious and Spiritual Sensibilities of Rap Music.

*Follow @kchitwood for more on religion & culture.