Adrienne Toye paper
Contents
Where do these metal scenes exist?
-Israel, Iran, UAE, Lebanon, Morocco.
-I will also profile Iraq from the film Heavy Metal in Baghdad, but there is not a large metal scene in Iraq.
What has allowed heavy metal to emerge?
-Dubai is surprisingly very open to anything Western. Video clip (on access)
-The internet is a huge factor in the spread of heavy metal in the Arab world.
What does heavy metal provide for its Arab fans?
-It could be an outlet for youth to express their discontent with the government’s moralistic values that are constantly imposed on them.
-An escape – there is one metal head interviewed in Global metal that explains that he chose heavy metal over the army – he did not want to be enlisted into the army so decided to play in a band – he wanted to “travel the world and meet other people that like the same things that I like”.
-But a constant theme that comes up is freedom and unity:
-A quote from global metal:
“Although heavy metal may be part of the process of globalization, something unique is happening. Metal connects with people, regardless of their cultural, political, or religious backgrounds. And these people aren’t just absorbing metal from the West – they are transforming it, creating a new outlet they can’t find in their traditional cultures, and a voice to express their discontent with the chaos and uncertainty that surrounds them in their rapidly changing societies. For metalheads all across the globe, metal is more than music, more than an identity – metal is freedom, and together we are now a global tribe.”
What have been some of the reasons and sanctions?
-Ex: Morocco’s satanic music trials
• 14 Moroccan metalheads were jailed for “shaking the Muslim faith”.
• Sentences of between 3 months and a year after having been found in possession of “a collection of diabolical CDs”, skeletons, skulls, and cobras.
• Originally arrested for wearing “anti-Islamic” T-shirts – depicting death and the devil.
• The fact that their lyrics were in English rather than Arabic was “suspicious”.
• One defense lawyer spoke of the trial as a “witch-hunt aimed at pleasing Islamists”.
• A conservative Islamic journal argued that these heavy metal supporters were a part of a movement to “encourage all forms of delinquency and alcohol which are ignored by the authorities”.
• A defense lawyer argued that Moroccan youth now did not feel at home in their own country and that the judicial systems needed people that understood the youth culture from a relativistic perspective.
Censorship in North America - comparison
-1985 – Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was established. Founded by Susan Baker (wife of Secretary of State James Baker) and Tipper Gore (wife of Tennessee senator Albert Gore).
-Intentions: to educate parents on the “dangerous” music that their children were being exposed to – objecting to lyrics, music videos, etc.
-Senate hearings were held, and eventually the PMRC reached an agreement with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to place a sticker on albums with “explicit” lyrics.
http://wheretruthlies.com/Referenced/parentaladvisory.jpg
-This is much less extreme than jailing musicians and fans.
-Stemmed from a parent-organization rather than directly from the government.
-More of a warning than a sanction.
Reactions
-One pretty large reaction:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85817336276
How is it being censored?
Direct censorship:
-Israel – Salem – “I am more scared of the living” Video Clip
-Iran – his visa application was denied, so he had to meet with some metal heads in Dubai instead to discuss Iran’s metal scene and its censorship. Video Clip
-Film: Heavy Metal in Baghdad
– About the only metal band known to exist in Iraq: Acrassicauda (“The Black Scorpion”). Had to power their amps with gasoline and carry guns to their practice sessions. This film is more about the astonishment that they can even exist in a country with a full out civil war (not necessarily that talented).
– Not really a “metal scene” once the war on terror was established.
– Direct censorship in the former regime: Video Clip
Indirect censorship:
-Baghdad – almost impossible for them to play shows because of the danger in Iraq.
– Prior to this clip: trouble for patrons to get into the hotel where the concert was being held because of the way that they were dressed (Iron Maiden t-shirts, etc.), they were seen as a threat.
– Their photo identification had to be checked thoroughly for them to be allowed in.
– This a small concert – they were unable to play a huge show because of the danger in Iraq, people at this point are too afraid to come out of their homes and to be seen being associated with this heavy metal music culture.
– The show had to be over by 7PM – curfew.
– This was their last performance in Iraq – the full out civil war came to be after this. Video Clip
-In 5 ½ years they were only able to play 6 shows. They considered twenty people to be good turn out for a concert.
-They are simply unable to play music because of the war.
-Eventually moved to Syria as refugees to make it as musicians, but there was barely a metal scene present in Syria.
Conclusions
-Censorship really seems to be about morals – most of these Arab nations reject heavy metal because of the ideas and behaviour that they believe it projects.
-Indirect censorship does occur, but it seems as though it is mainly in extreme situations such as the one in Baghdad.
-Still in the process of reading Mark Levine’s book so I am hoping more inspiration comes from this on more areas to explore.
