This may be a little controversial for a practising Muslimah but here goes…
… I am a practising Muslimah and I still go to rock concerts. Yup. I listen to music. Live and in person. Not just percussion but guitars, bass, and lots of noise.
I’ve been gigging for years and I don’t see that stopping any time soon… except due to budgetary constraints.
I don’t listen to music with sexually explicit or suggestive language. I don’t listen to artists or songs who have messages that I disagree with. Songs about lies and cheating are rife in the R&B and Pop charts. I despise them as it’s normalising infidelity. It’s not just cheating songs I hate. It’s the mindless ‘party all night’ bangers too. They’re just vacuous and pointless to me.
I consciously avoid songs that promote values that don’t align with my own. I carefully choose who I want to listen to and who I avoid. That’s my decision and my choice.
Why do I go to live music concerts? I like music. Different genres of music. Different eras. I’m not obsessive about music. I just enjoy live music as it simply sounds better.
Free mixing… haram haram
Yo, Haram Police. Pipe down will you.
Free mixing? Well, I’m in a place with both men and women, that’s true. Is it ‘mixing’? Not really. I’m not communicating with anyone other than my friends. No different from a trip to the movies really. Or a really crowded tube journey… but better music obvs.
From a moral perspective, I would rather go to a gig than go to a social mixer or party where you actually are ‘free mixing’, dressing up in fancy clothes & eye-catching jewellery and interacting freely with both genders.
So… haram police, back off. Worry about yourself and I’ll worry about me. Peace out.