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Daily Hadith

4/15/2014

ISLAMIC ENTERTAINMENT, FASHION AND INSURANCE: THE GROWING INDUSTRIES



ISLAMIC FILM, MUSIC, FASHION AND INSURANCE:  THE GROWING INDUSTRIES

by Syarif Hidayat

After the Islamic banking (sharia banking) system has been wide gaining recognition in the western world. Now the Islamic Film, Music and fashion as well as insurance industries are entering the world arena confidently with significant progresses here and there.
  
Omar Shahid in his article titled “Halalywood: enter the Islamic entertainment industry” published in www.aquila-style.com writes
We’ve all heard of Hollywood and Bollywood. Some of you may have even heard of Lollywood (the Pakistani version) and Nollywood (the Nigerian version). But what about Halalywood? No? Well, as of 2014, you probably will. American actor and comedian Omar Regan, who has appeared in films such as Rush Hour 2, has set out to create a halal-certified film industry for Muslims.

“There are around 2 billion Muslims around the world and there is nobody catering for us and our stories. So I left Hollywood and I’m going Halalywood!” Regan says in a video encouraging people to donate to his Kickstarter project.
“Here is our mission: we are going to provide halal entertainment, that’s entertainment we [Muslims] can relate to. Secondly, we want to re-educate the masses about Muslims and Islam. Thirdly, it will provide a platform for young Muslim writers, actors and directors, where they can go and get their stories made and they won’t be turned away,” he says.

Regan is set to release his first movie American Sharia, a comedy/action film about rogue government officials using Islamophobia to maintain power, later this year. However, the up and coming Islamic Film Industry is just one of the many new and emerging scenes being created.

Reacting to the world they see around them, a new generation of young, modern Muslims are carving out new ways to entertain themselves – yet remain loyal to their faith. This new generation is showing that Islam and entertainment can go hand in hand. Along the way, they are shattering stereotypes about what it means to be Muslim in today’s world.

Alternative to the mainstream music industry

Of course, many of these emerging subcultures have been criticised by conservative Muslims as “unIslamic” for swerving away from traditional and accepted forms of entertainment. One such example is the Islamic Music Industry: launched ten years ago and although growing in approval by many Muslims, it is still attacked because of the use of musical instruments, which some see as haram.

Awakening Records, a UK-based publishing house and record label founded in 2000, saw that Muslims were craving an alternative to the mainstream music industry. Instead of the sexually explicit, violent and misogynistic lyrics in many mainstream songs, Awakening decided to provide a modern, faith-driven alternative.

Their first signing was the British-Azeri singer Sami Yusuf, who in 2003 shot to stardom with his debut album Al Mu’allim. Yusuf’s success was so extraordinary and sudden, it caught Awakening by surprise – he was soon labelled “Islam’s biggest rockstar” by Time magazine in 2006.

But after a famous fallout with Awakening in 2008, Yusuf, 33, later left the record label. Today, he is still among the most popular Islamic musicians in the world as he continues to produce Muslim-friendly music. Yusuf’s departure, however, gave rise to another star. Maher Zain, 32, coming from the mainstream music scene and working with the likes of Lady Gaga, had a change of heart in 2007. He fully embraced his Islamic faith and soon signed to Awakening.

Today, with two multi-platinum albums under his belt, along with Yusuf he has catapulted Islamic music into millions of Muslim houses worldwide.
As Islamic music continues to grow, it is slowly being introduced to non-Muslims, too. Yusuf has self-coined a genre called Spiritique, which he says is more spiritual than religious and hopes for it to transcend race and religion. Similarly, Saif Adam, an increasingly popular UK-born Muslim artist, aims to produce music for Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

“Conscious hip-hop”, or political hip-hop

Many Muslims are also flocking to music that is often termed “conscious hip-hop”, or political hip-hop. While this type of music is not Islamic per se, the fight against oppression and the promotion of social justice is at its core. This genre is also used as a medium to support and bring attention to certain causes, whether Palestine or Syria. This, again, is seen as a better alternative to “the mainstream”.

Comedy, like music, also has the ability to transcend religion. In the US, the American-Palestinian Muslim comedian Yousef Erakat, who launched the YouTube channel FouseyTube in 2011, has well over 150 million views for his comedy sketches. His videos range from light-hearted religious content such as funny things Muslims do while praying, to playing pranks on the public, to tackling serious social issues like homelessness and bullying.

Meanwhile in the UK, 28-year-old Humza Arshad’s YouTube series Diary of a Badman, which began in 2010, has also made him into something of an Internet celebrity. Arshad’s videos satirise British Asian culture by chronicling a fictionalised version of himself and his relationships with friends and family.

Hijab fashionista trend

However, one of the most interesting subcultures to have emerged recently is the makeup and hijab fashionista trend. A cursory glance on YouTube typing in the words “hijab tutorial” will expose a whole new world where many young Muslim women will go to learn how to wear different styles of hijabs, apply make up and wear fashion accessories. One of the most popular names in this scene is YazTheSpaz – a hijab, fashion and makeup stylist – who is also set to appear in American Sharia.

Last year, we also saw female Islamic fashion reach new heights – whether it was the Indonesia Islamic Fashion Fair or the Hijab Fashion Week in London. While this April, Aquila Style will host the Pearl Daisy Asia Tour 2014, which will celebrate the best in fashion and arts.

And who could forget Mipsterz? The video, released late last year to a barrage of controversy, showed a group of young Muslim women on skateboards, in high heels, wearing the hijab to the beat of Jay Z’s Somewhere in America. However, not all the feedback was negative. Noor, one of the women featured in the video, said she received positive feedback from people who once thought the hijab was “oppressive” and “disempowering”.

But what are behind these trends? And why are Muslims now reasserting their faith in new, innovative and creative ways?

The obvious is the advent and widespread use of social media, which has made these forms of entertainment possible. Then there’s 9/11 and the constant media coverage that ensued – impacting the way Muslims are perceived and perceive themselves. Many young Muslims across the world, growing up in a profoundly different time to their parents, are interpreting and exerting their religion in new ways. This perhaps explains why it’s young Muslims who are spearheading most of these trends. You could even say a young Muslim revolt is taking shape.

As many societies seemingly turn away from religious values, Muslims are doing all they can to provide their co-religionists with their own niche – one that is cool, modern and, for the most part, Islam-friendly.

The upcoming “Islamic music industry”

On another article titled “The upcoming “Islamic music industry” published in http://m.aljazeera.com, Omar Shahid writes Ten years ago, a young and unassuming British-Azerbaijani, who’d recently had a spiritual awakening, released an album that catapulted him to stardom. Sami Yusuf, now 33, is known throughout the Muslim world for his spiritual songs about Islam. At the peak of his career, following the release of his 2005 album “My Ummah”, he was heralded as “Islam’s biggest rockstar”.

For many years, Muslims have been yearning for an alternative to the spiritually devoid content of popular mainstream music. An inevitable outcome has ensued: the beginning of the Islamic music industry.

The industry, however,  is still in its infancy, with a small amount of artists competing and only one major record label, Awakening Records.
Music, however, is a controversial topic in Islamic jurisprudence, with many conservative Muslims rejecting its permissibility. In 2006, for example, journalist and former Taliban captive Yvonne Ridley (a convert to Islam) lambasted Yusuf in an open letter that went viral. The hysteria Yusuf was creating among his Muslim female fans was a step too far for Ridley. 

This mania “must be creeping around the globe and poisoning the masses”, Ridley said. Despite this zeal to condemn Islamic music, it was the deeply nuanced and vast nature of the Islamic tradition with its multitude of interpretations and applications that has made its growing approval possible.

But the staunch opposition to Islamic music is symptomatic of a deeper problem. According to Dr Mohammed Fahim, a London-based imam, with the growth of Wahhabi Islam in the 20th century, the movement began to fight art in all its forms. Music is allowed in Islam, he says, providing there isn’t any vulgarity or obscenity in the singing or dress – something many Muslims, see as a truism.

Muslim artists are entering into new terrain

Now is an exciting time for the Islamic music industry. Muslim artists are entering into new terrain and have the power to dispel negative stereotypes about their religion.

With perhaps more fame and, indeed, inner happiness, than he would have found in the US, Maher Zain, who came through the US music industry and worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, is today the most well-known Islamic musician worldwide. Boasting 10 million Facebook followers and more than 100 million views on Youtube, his transition from secular music to religious, appears a worthwhile move.

On November 3, Zain, 32, performed to a packed hall at The Troxy in London. As he walked onto the stage, wearing trendy attire, colour-coded in blue and black, he was greeted by rapturous applause and screams by his female admirers. Singing songs for an hour about peace, unity and God, the show was the final stop in a 12-city concert tour of the UK and Ireland organised by the British charity Human Appeal in aid of Syria.

Yes, some girls screamed, and yes, light sticks were waved rhythmically in the air while Zain performed. But there was an underlying feeling of warmth, positivity and it was all carried out, in the most part, in a dignified manner. For those few hours, Muslims of all ages, including renowned Islamic scholars who were present, seemed to forget about their worries, they smiled and felt a sense of shared community spirit.

The 12-city tour – which also featured Awakening’s artists Raef and Harris J - is evidence of Islamic music being on an unstoppable upward curve. Indeed, as the Islamic music industry grows, it is producing many new, exciting artists. 

London-born Saif Adam, 28, has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Tulisa Contostavlos but is now rising to prominence among Muslims worldwide. He has just released his debut album, Heart, inspired by the love he has for his religion. Adam’s success is representative of change, with mainstream companies beginning to recognise and endorse him.

Now is an exciting time for the Islamic music industry. Muslim artists are entering into new terrain and have the power to dispel negative stereotypes about their religion. Whether it is American Muslim artist Mo Sabri’s viral song “I believe in Jesus” or Zain’s songs about peace, never in Islamic history have Muslim singers commanded the ears of their co-religionists worldwide, had devoted fans, and sold multi-platinum albums, as is the case with the likes of Zain.

Until recently, Islamic music, often referred to as nasheed - now a slightly outdated term – was poorly made and badly marketed. Now we see an industry that is growing, diversifying and experimenting to fit in with the times in which we live. There is no problem with people being against Islamic music. Muslims have the right to believe Islamic music is haram [forbidden] and differences of opinion in religion are healthy. But Islamic music is here to stay.

Islamic fashion industry

An article titled “Islamic fashion industry – $322 billion by 2018” published in www.albawaba.com says Muslim consumer expenditure in the clothing / fashion sector will soar to $322 billion by 2018, from an estimated $224 billion in 2012, said a report.

This represents the potential Islamic values inspired ‘modest’ clothing market for Muslims worldwide, said the State of the Global Islamic Economy 2013 Report.

The report, commissioned by ‘Dubai Capital of the Islamic Economy’ and produced by Thomson Reuters in collaboration with DinarStandard, was released as part of the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2013.
There, however, exists a wide diversity in interpretation and adoption of ‘modesty’ among Muslims across the world.

However, a convergence of fashion styles for Muslim women is developing through niche ‘Hijab’ and other clothing brands, said the report.
Top countries with Muslim consumers clothing consumption are Turkey at $25 billion, followed by Iran at $21 billion, Indonesia at $17 billion, Egypt at $16 billion, Saudi Arabia at $15 billion and Pakistan at $14 billion, based on 2012 data.

Collectively, the Muslim clothing consumer market is only second after the largest market in the world – the US, with $494 billion in spending.
The clothing industry focused on Muslim customers faces many challenges that include not being able to achieve scale and efficiency, financing, fragmented cultural preferences, and integrity in adhering to the spirit of ‘modest’ clothing based on Islamic principles.

Key Opportunities

• Islamic finance and Halal fashion SME’s:   With a focus on SME development and financing, this sector should be an important one to consider given its fragmented but large volume activity both for investors and clothing companies.
• Developing branded global concepts with Halal integrity:  With $200+ billion dollar consumer market, it is surprising that no focussed global fashion brand based on modest clothing exists today.
• OIC exporters/ producers:  Clothing production is a major industry for many of the OIC countries (Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia, Morocco, and Pakistan.)
• Western Muslim fashion market:  Muslims in Western Europe (Germany, France, UK) and North America collectively spent an estimated $21 billion on clothing and footwear in 2012.  This is a large segment in itself with relative homogenous clothing patterns.

Islamic Insurance: a growing industry

Andrea Felsted in an article titled “Islamic Insurance: a growing industry” published in Financial Times, writes Islamic insurance has enjoyed strong growth in recent years, although the period since the global financial crisis has proved difficult for the rapidly developing industry.
Dominic Moody, senior vice-president at insurance broker Marsh in the Middle East, says the market for insurance products compliant with Islamic law – known as Takaful – is “growing quite phenomenally”, in spite of the downturn.

Expansion is being driven by two factors: Takaful is strongest in Muslim countries, where the take-up of insurance has been low historically; and availability is increasing, as more Takaful insurers are established.

Ernst & Young says global Takaful contributions totalled $9.15bn in 2010, and are on course to reach $12bn at the end of this year. The professional services firm points out they represent only 1 per cent of the global insurance market, even though Muslims make up 20 per cent of the world’s population. The global market could reach $25bn by the end of 2015, it says.

But most Gulf Co-operation Council markets have seen a slowdown in Takaful growth, with only Saudi Arabia’s market staying strong because of the continued roll-out of compulsory medical insurance.

According to Ernst & Young, Saudi Arabia, with Takaful contributions totalling $3.86bn in 2009, Malaysia with $1.15bn, and the United Arab Emirates with $640m, were the top three markets.

Dagwood Ahmedji, head of Islamic financial advisory services at Deloitte, says there is plenty more potential in the Middle East, for example, from governments making insurance lines compulsory.

Analysts believe that for Takaful to reach its potential, it must make inroads into Europe and the US, and into commercial insurance products. Many international companies have moved into the market, but more development is needed.

Islamic reinsurance

One challenge is to extend the insurance available for commercial lines. Mohammad Khan, a partner at PwC, and its Islamic finance leader, says that for this to happen there needs to be well-rated Islamic reinsurance (the insurance that insurers buy) as well as so-called retrocession reinsurance (reinsurance of reinsurance).

Mr Moody says Islamic finance is radiating out from the Middle East to other parts of the world. However, this is not being matched by equivalent insurance products. “Islamic finance is pretty much a global industry. There are challenges when it comes to provide financing for a business in Europe or the US, because there are limited insurance options, so they have to use regular insurance. It is not a fully Islamic financing solution,” he says.

A number of Islamic banks, he says, are setting up branches in Europe and plan to offer complementary products, for example, a personal accident insurance policy provided by the bank.

“Islamic banks are working with insurers to try to create a bancassurance product that is sharia-compliant,” says Mr Moody. In the UK, Salaam Halal insurance, the first Islamic insurance company, launched in 2008. Although it took off initially, it was operating in the ferociously competitive motor insurance market and closed to new business a year later.

PwC’s Mr Khan says the tipping-point for Takaful will come when it also appeals to non-Muslims. “[Takaful] is ethical insurance, and that is the market to go for. The market in the US, in western countries isn’t just Muslims, and shouldn’t be restricted to Muslims,”he says.

Other hurdles include making sure that insurance contracts comply with Islamic principles and evolving regulations. The Islamic finance industry has developed its own body, the Islamic Financial Standards Board, which has tackled issues such as solvency.

Despite the headwinds, analysts are still upbeat on prospects.
According to Mr Ahmedji, while the global financial crisis has “damped confidence in factors such as investment returns, “Takaful is a slow-burn industry. It was never going to be an overnight phenomenon, because it is about introducing a new product to the Muslim community.” (HSH)

Bibliotheque:

5. http://muslimvillage.com/

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