Tag Archives: Deeyah

Six Pillars – Muslim Girls in Music

Propelled by the story of Deeyah (aka the Muslim Madonna) and her encouragement of other Muslim girls to make music, Jus1Jam came all the way from Bradford for a discussion on being a Muslim and a musician at the same time, and to read her lyrics as poetry.

Deeyah’s career caused a lot of trouble and is subsequently conferred to the fringes of media attention. People working with Deeyah have been known to abandon their projects for unexplained reasons, and she herself has received death threats and been forced underground. This begs the question: how do Muslim girls with a leaning towards the arts balance their beliefs and their talents, in a western setting where other girls are ‘free’ to express themselves and perform without fear?

Jus1Jam recites her poetry for us in the studio, discusses being a muslim liberal and growing up in Muslim-heavy Bradford.