Thought these were two different articles. Does anyone know anything more about Indonesia’s history of politics, Islam and music?
This seems to be a fusion of pop culture, Indonesia’s “MTV culture”, with Islamic messages and some televangelism on the side. i wonder if this actually works. i haven’t seen any of the programmes myself. Is it too glitzy and too artificial ? i wish we had some guppy residing in Indonesia who could better inform us of what these shows are actually like.
i’m not posting the whole articles because they’re too long.
Preaching Islam, Britney style, Tony Sitathan, Asia Times, 24 March 2004
JAKARTA - A new Islamic fad is sweeping across Indonesia. But this time the divine message is reinforced by an amplifier and a speaker box chanting Islamic musical notes taken from the Koran, Islam’s holy book, and sprinkled with modern-day pop culture that appeals even to the MTV generation in Indonesia.
Some call it the dawning of a new era in “Islamization”, where pop-star Islamic preachers use the mass media as their vehicle to entertain and enthrall young audiences. And it doesn’t stop there. Their pop-star appeal and poster-boy good looks seem to appeal to a wide cross section of the population, including the young and old, as well as the different genders. Women especially seem to adore this new breed of singing preacher, who appear to have a cult-like appeal similar to that first shown by audiences responding to pop groups like Abba or the Beatles.
“The music is especially appealing, and the musical beats are similar to that of a fusion of world music that has a distinct tempo to it. But it’s not hypnotic nor seen as something subliminal, if that is what you are thinking about,” said Eddy Sugianto, a music critic and playwright who has written several local thematic plays in Indonesia.
One of the more charismatic and better recognized Islamic preachers, Abdullah Gymnastiar, 42, has earned kudos from the media as “the poster boy of moderate Islam”. He also is known as brother Gym or Aa Gym and currently runs MQCorp, a holding company that runs a network marketing franchise for consumer products ranging from cosmetics and perfume to toiletries, food and beverages, fashion accessories and clothing, including its own range of cola beverages known as MQ Cola. Last year, his business grossed Rp27 billion (US$3.2 million). Not bad for a Muslim cleric who was labeled by Time magazine as the “Britney Spears of Islam”.
Rest of article accessible here.