Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement

In the academic discourse on contemporary Islamists movement, forms of popular Islamic music are hardly discussed. This is in particular striking, when looking at the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, which explicit states the importance of the ‘hyms ’ (arab. sg. nÁshÐd, pl. ÞanÁshÐd). The academic Ignorance might be due to the known attitude of Islam as being not in favoured of music. However, this ambiguity of Islam is definitely shaping the discourse about and sounds of the ÞanÁshÐd related to the Islamic resistance movement in Palestine. Therefore, part of this study aims to trace and analyse the ambiguity of Islam towards music. After this, I situate the ÞanÁshÐd in the musical surrounding of the region, revealing them as a distinguished part of the popular music strongly employing local folk music material. The next and final part takes a closer look at specific, typical examples of songs, trying to decode the musical language spoken in these ÞanÁshÐd. Thereby, I look at and listen to these popular forms of expression not with the idea to classify them as legitimate or illegitimate forms of communication and expression. Rather, my interest is in digging them out as manifestations of lived experiences these music spaces create, express and transcend. This article is the unrevised Master Theses I wrote for my study of modern trends in Islam in the year of 2000