At 00:28 18/12/2010 -0500, REH wrote:
Thanks Lawry, The music part has been confusing to me ever since I tried
to enlist some Mosques in a nationwide Day of Reconciliationwith a new
song by Ned Rorem. Needless to say it didn't get off the
ground. The Christians were no more willing either but I couldn't get
any dialogue at all from the Muslims. Later I was told that their view
of the music and mine were diametrically opposed. That's what you stated
below. Interesting what our logic does to our remembrance of what Indian
People call The Original Instructions. I'll let both Christians and
Islam speak for themselves on that one.
We actually owe Islam a great deal. In their scholarly heyday around
800-1000AD they translated a great many important Greek and Indian texts --
on philosophy, logic, astronomy, maths (particularly the 0 digit and
algebra), etc -- into Arabic and subsequently (in Spain where they lived
peaceably with Christians and Jews) into Latin. These ideas, plus many
basic engineering inventions trickling in from China, set the scene for the
earliest glimmerings of the industrial revolution in the middle Middle Ages
(developed mainly in the monastic orders in Europe which were the
technological equivalents of present-day multinational corporations).
However, because the Islamic culture was generally deficient in music and
representational art they lost two of the tricks which the Roman Catholic
Church adopted. Plain chant singing (developed within the Church into
four-part harmony) and the multi-coloured dramas of their stained-glass
church windows (the TV of their time) which were looked on with wonder (and
frequently great fear) cemented the power of the Church hierarchy.
Keith
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of de Bivort Lawrence
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 12:02 PM
To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION
Subject: Re: [Futurework] Astonishing architecture
Greetings, everyone,
I have been wanting to share with you some thoughts on the rich exchanges
between Keith and Ray, but found that this note on Qatar impelled me to
reply. Thoughts on the rewarding RAy/Keith exchange, I hope, are to follow.
No, the mullahs are recognizing that many non-Muslims will be coming to
Qatar and they are simply confirming the traditional Arabic hospitality
that will be extended to visitors. Sharia is not "suspended" or even
"relaxed" and will continue to guide/influence the law as it pertains to
Qataris. The World Cup event poses a particular challenge to the mores of
any host country: the advent of tens of thousands of fans who expect to
get drunk and have their way, regardless of those mores. What the mullahs,
apparently, are saying is that they won't expect Qatari law enforcement to
exercise the normal standards in the face of this onslaught. Their motive
won't be to "make a buck" as I take it Der Spiegel is proposing, but to
help the Qatari authorities find the best way of maintaining the best
semblance of law and order possible, given their expectations of the
behavior of some fans.
It is important for Europeans and Americans to realize that sharia law is
viewed by Muslims as being the direct expression of god's instructions for
good, respectful and healthy living. It is not viewed as oppressive;
rather it is viewed as the embodiment of justice and social harmony.
Muslims generally feel blessed to have such guidance, and feel sorry for
those who don't have it, or who don't follow it. Thus the "relaxation" of
sharia as it applies to the masses of non-Muslims descending upon Qatar is
undoubtedly viewed sadly as a concession to their nominally unchangeable
lack of good morals and behavior.
Second, the Taliban are not representative of fundamentalist groups in
Islam. They are an ultra-conservative tribal (Pashtun) manifestation that
emerged, surprisingly to many, as a genuine reformist group working
against the corruption and undemocratic ways of Afghanistan's numerous and
self-centered warlords. They have morphed into fighters for national
liberation and in so doing have applied their ultra-conservative social
beliefs (e.g. re. women and education) to areas of Afghanistan in which
even when they dominated the government in the post-USSR period they did
not hold sway. The US invasion and occupation has given the Taliban a
nation-wide legitimacy that they never possessed before, and so doing has
left Afghanis with terrible choices -- support a corrupt, warlord-centric,
and anti-democratic Karzai, or support an ultra-conservative, anti-woman
Taliban. The US occupation has left no room or opportunity for a third
moderate, democratic, and pluralistic choice to emerge.
So, as to music: music is a fundamental cultural aspect of the Arabic and
Muslim worlds. Two million people attended the funeral of one of Egypt's
extraordinary singers, Um Kalthum. If anyone reading this doubts this,
please consider down-loading her "Baid anak" (38 minutes uninterrupted of
some of the most heartfelt and beautiful music you will ever hear) from
iTunes. Some "fundamentalist" groups, including several sufi ones, have
music at the heart of their religious practices. Others, including many
salafi groups, do not, though adherents may have a lot of music in their
non-religious lives. And then, yes, there are some groups that actively
avoid music, feeling that it is a distraction form what is important in life.
Some people, including me and, i think, Ray, view music as a form of
harmony, or a medium through which harmony in society can be sought. And
this latter group of Muslim traditionalists (and certainly not "most" of
them) holds the opposite view: that music distracts, seduces, attracts
people away from those practices and beliefs that are the basis for such
harmony. I would love to sit in on a discussion between advocates of
these two opposite perspectives.
In Qatar, music is a standard aspect of cultural life, in the past as it
is today. "The mullahs" are not, as far as I know, opposed to this, and it
would not in any case be considered contrary to sharia.
I hope these notes are of interest.
Cheers,
Lawry
On Dec 17, 2010, at 10:34 AM, Keith Hudson wrote:
You've answered this yourself. The mullahs are agreeing to the soccer
event because it will bring business. However, soccer, like the arts, is
an offpsring of an economy and not a main driver. What the mullahs of
Qatar think of music, I don't know. Most traditional Islamic sects, such
as the Taliban in Afghanistan, regard music as sinful and it's proscribed.
Not for them the great festivals of the Baltic countries when scores of
thousands of people meet for days of singing.
KSH
At 09:52 17/12/2010 -0500, you wrote:
Thanks for the pictures Keith. Traditionally we called the ballgamea
sacred act. Its subtext was the little warand it diffused tension
between nations, cities and groups. Still works. How do you
justify you comments about the Arts (and Sports) with what the Mullahs are
doing here to drum up business and replace the declining revenues as oil
runs out. South Korea is doing something similar as well as they invest
a billions dollars a year in culture business through their version of the
National Endowment of the Arts. Of course the Germans call it Heilige Kunst.
REH
From:
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Keith Hudson
Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 3:10 AM
To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, , EDUCATION
Subject: [Futurework] Astonishing architecture
For quite the most astonishing architectural photographs that I've ever
seen, go to:
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,734621,00.html>http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,734621,00.html
This also raises two more points in my mind. The Der Spiegel article
mentions that, apparently, the Qatari mullahs are prepared to relax Sharia
law for those who will be attending the World Soccer Championship in 2022.
It may be seriously suggested to Western politicians and diplomats that
soccer might be a much more effective way to dissolve the tensions that
now exist with Islamic countries. (And what about cricket also?) Secondly,
the German architects of the stadia are putting their faith in solar-cell
technology for the vast amount of energy that will be required. However,
see the companion piece to this for a breakthrough which might be a
superior way forward, perhaps even by 2022.
Keith
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Keith Hudson, Saltford, England
<http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2010/12/>http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/2010/12/
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