A Muslim woman’s songs call for peace
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Vercihan Ziflioglu
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 12, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - When the US invaded Iraq, Habibe wanted to be a human shield, but her family kept her from sacrificing herself. Instead, she took off her black chador, donned a white one and set her protest to music.
For Habibe, a young Muslim woman, Pope Benedict XVI’s statement that "Islam is a warrior religion" was the last straw. She took off her black chador and donned a snow-white one, symbolizing peace, and hit the road to tell the world that her faith was not one of war.
Born in Medina, Habibe, 33, had been ready to give up her life as a human shield when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Though her family just barely prevented this young woman from sacrificing himself, she was determined to not stay silent about what she saw happening.
As a covered Muslim woman whose voice was forbidden by her religion, Habibe’s singing has been controversial, but she never gave up. She started working under the leadership of famous composer Taner Demiralp and performed nine different songs that call for friendship and peace in the world, including "Talea’l Bedr-u Aleyna" (Welcome, Dear Mohammed), one of the most-loved chants of the Muslim world, in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and English. Habibe prepared her first music video for the techno track "No War." The video, which includes verses of peace from the Koran and the Old Testament of the Bible, is already on airing on the MTV music channel and its Web site, www.mtv.com.
Establishing the White Peace foundation
"The view of the Western world on Muslims is unacceptable," Habibe told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "The Western world defines Islam as terror. I cannot accept terror performed on behalf of Islam. I do not want it to be identified with my religion. Every living creature has a value in this universe." Habibe said she was planning to establish a foundation named White Peace with the revenue from her album of the same name. "We will spend our earnings for the sake of peace," she said. "Regardless of their religion, language and color, we will receive all the victims with open arms."
The Middle East has become a region of interest groups due to its crude-oil resources, said Habibe, who criticized the Arabic world for not uniting. "Even if the concept of colonialism has changed, the powerful ones still exert pressure on the weak ones," she said. "Muslims have always been shown as barbarians throughout history. But the Arabic world is doing nothing to change this perception," she added.
As for the reactions her album received from the Muslim world, Habibe said: "I get reactions, but it does not matter at all. I have a mission and I want to do it. "
Habibe’s father is Turkish, and her mother is Arabic. She came to Turkey when she was 15, but because she wears the chador Ğ as she has done since childhood Ğ she was not able to study at a university. "Our right to study is taken from us in Turkey just because we are covered," she said. "This is a kind of war, too."
Because of the video for "No War," Habibe said she had been launched as a "techno singer," a moniker she was not pleased with. "I am not a singer. There is nothing like Islamic techno," she said. "I don’t sing songs, but just give a message. Also, it confirms the war in Turkey once again that I was promoted as a covered girl."
Born in Medina, Habibe, 33, had been ready to give up her life as a human shield when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Though her family just barely prevented this young woman from sacrificing himself, she was determined to not stay silent about what she saw happening.
As a covered Muslim woman whose voice was forbidden by her religion, Habibe’s singing has been controversial, but she never gave up. She started working under the leadership of famous composer Taner Demiralp and performed nine different songs that call for friendship and peace in the world, including "Talea’l Bedr-u Aleyna" (Welcome, Dear Mohammed), one of the most-loved chants of the Muslim world, in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and English. Habibe prepared her first music video for the techno track "No War." The video, which includes verses of peace from the Koran and the Old Testament of the Bible, is already on airing on the MTV music channel and its Web site, www.mtv.com.
Establishing the White Peace foundation
"The view of the Western world on Muslims is unacceptable," Habibe told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "The Western world defines Islam as terror. I cannot accept terror performed on behalf of Islam. I do not want it to be identified with my religion. Every living creature has a value in this universe." Habibe said she was planning to establish a foundation named White Peace with the revenue from her album of the same name. "We will spend our earnings for the sake of peace," she said. "Regardless of their religion, language and color, we will receive all the victims with open arms."
The Middle East has become a region of interest groups due to its crude-oil resources, said Habibe, who criticized the Arabic world for not uniting. "Even if the concept of colonialism has changed, the powerful ones still exert pressure on the weak ones," she said. "Muslims have always been shown as barbarians throughout history. But the Arabic world is doing nothing to change this perception," she added.
As for the reactions her album received from the Muslim world, Habibe said: "I get reactions, but it does not matter at all. I have a mission and I want to do it. "
Habibe’s father is Turkish, and her mother is Arabic. She came to Turkey when she was 15, but because she wears the chador Ğ as she has done since childhood Ğ she was not able to study at a university. "Our right to study is taken from us in Turkey just because we are covered," she said. "This is a kind of war, too."
Because of the video for "No War," Habibe said she had been launched as a "techno singer," a moniker she was not pleased with. "I am not a singer. There is nothing like Islamic techno," she said. "I don’t sing songs, but just give a message. Also, it confirms the war in Turkey once again that I was promoted as a covered girl."