Pairing for Success: Religion and Technology

Yet another surfacing of an inability to adapt to Canadian - actually, universal - values on the part of those who worship an increasingly and bizarrely extreme form of Islam. Intent on rejecting everything it feels representing values of Western civilization. A counterpart to its own reliance on the pre-civility of traditional tribal animosities.

Historically, after its original foundation, in a paroxysm of wars and assassinations, settled Islam has been known for its appreciation of the arts in all its forms. From writing exquisite poetry, to erecting intricately beautiful structures, and hauntingly lovely music on a variety of musical instruments, accompanied by singers whose plaintive voices mesmerized the listener.

But here is a convert to Islam who insists that only male voices are now to be considered acceptable to devout Muslims, and "winds and stringed instruments have been banned because of their captivating power. Their notes and chords evoke strong emotional attachments. For many, music becomes a source of solace and hope instead of God."

Music, in those circumstances becomes a soothing drug, whereas devout Muslims should be turning to the Koran, and to God for solace. Music is a distracting influence, one that takes Muslims away from God and is therefore not to be tolerated. It seems this is a growing mode of thought influencing susceptible Muslims who then refuse to have their children taught the love of music.

This man was once himself an outstanding musician, lauded for his performance abilities. Yet now, devoted to Islamic precepts of complete surrender to Allah and ultimate respect for all the devotional concepts that circumscribe every aspect of life for the faithful, he teaches that women are forbidden from singing "in order to keep the sensual atmosphere of the society at a minimum."

"Men", he contends, "are much more easily aroused than females as has been thoroughly documented by the clinical studies of Masters and Johnson." Again, the modern meeting up with and clarifying the ancient. The president of the Islamic Research Foundation located in Mumbai insists music places its listeners in a "trance" and a "frenzy".

The dean of the Al Maghrib Institute of Texas, Yasir Qadhi, states that one "can't love the Koran and music at the same time." The narcotic effects of music on the human soul contests with God to enrapture the faithful. On the other hand the Islamic Institute of Toronto's website instructs that music is permissible as long as it does not contain "sensual, pagan or unethical themes", or subliminal messages.

"These are people who have an aversion to joy", explains Sohail Raza, speaking for the Muslim Canadian Congress. Islam does permit music; to claim otherwise is without a basis in actuality and history. But the debate within the Islamic community has fostered among some of its faithful the belief that parents may not permit their children to submit to music lessons in Canadian elementary schools.

Saudi Arabia, the fount of sternly fanatic Wahhabist-style Islam has been the source of originally encouraging engagement with jihad in the prosecution of forwarding the universal interests of Islam. Bilal Philips, whose message to the Islam of today is the inherent evil of music achieved academic degrees from the Islamic University of Medina and founded the Islamic Online University.

The Internet has become a valuable tool of instruction and command to reject all Western values for fundamentalist Islamists. Turning vulnerable young Muslim men toward violence and teaching through videos and on-line chat rooms how they must confront all vestiges of Western influence and wage a holy jihad in the name of Islam.

This is a startling but very useful symbiosis of a tribal religion originally based on conquest returning to its ancient source of ongoing conflict with those outside the faith, successfully using a modern technological tool of communication to achieve its aims.