The Muslim Madonna - Deeyah

Listen To The Banned CD Review: A Megaphone for the Disenfranchised

2012-01-04T15:41:00.001-08:00

Creator and co-producer of the album Listen To The Banned, Deeyah has been included in a published Journal compiled by the Journal of Urban Culture Research.

The interview discusses the importance to her, in giving a voice to other artists, her own experiences growing up as an immigrant in Norway and is asked her thoughts on the violent killings that took place in July 2011 in her home country of Norway. To read Deeyah's interview click here

credits: Kjell Skyllstad Editor in Chief

Journal of Urban Culture Research

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The Urban Times writes about MEMINI

2011-12-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

The Urban Times has exclusively interviewed Deeyah about MEMINI.

Speaking exclusively to the Urban Times, Deeyah talks about why she decided to launch Memini, how she hopes Memini defies the intent of the murderers and also she speaks about the reaction that MEMINI has received since it's launch on April 7th 2011. The interview also highlights the stories of Noor Faleh Almaleki and Heshu Yones.

Read the full interview below or from the following URL:

http://www.theurbn.com/2011/12/memini-honour-killings/

When Noor made the decision to live with her boyfriend, instead of conform to her family’s pressure for arranged marriage, tensions arose between her father and her. On October 20, 2009 in an Arizona parking lot Noor’s father attempted to run over his daughter and the mother of her boyfriend his Jeep. Noor spent two weeks in coma fighting for her life, but died as a result of her injuries. Source: MEMINI

MEMINI, is an international voluntary organisation, which aims to ensure stories of honour killing are told. MEMINI, which means ‘remembrance’ in Latin, works to bring to light the many women and girls who are victims of honour killing to call on government to establish more laws against such a terrible crime. Established by Deeyah, a former Norwegian singer with Pashtun and Punjabi backgrounds, MEMINI tries to raise awareness about honour killing.

Honour killing is a practice which occurs when a person is killed by another member of her family or community. The murder happens because of honour reasons as the victim has brought, or believed to have brought, dishonour to the family or to the community to which she belongs.

Speaking exclusively to Urban Times about honour killing, Deeyah said:

The purpose of honour killings is to remove the perceived shame, embarrassment or dishonour felt by a family, a clan, a tribe or a community that has a very strong group identity.These killings typically are intended to remove all signs of the person who has “offended” the collective. I have worked with this topic for many years and what has always made my heart hurt is in addition to the horrors and violence the victims of such crimes face is this intention of the killers to wipe out all signs of any existence of these young women

Not only are these murders so brutal and not only are the victims subjected to the ultimate betrayal of their family and community but the sheer tragedy of the people closest to them who should have loved them and cared about them and mourned them instead showed their conditional love and stole the life, dreams and potential of their own children.

Deeyah, who also won an award for her project Sisterhood, an initiative designed to empower young Muslim women by encouraging artistic expressions across creative disciplines, added.

Talking about MEMINI, Deeyah said that she wanted to create a special place for these women; a place which acknowledged their existence:

I wanted to create an online space where we could mourn them, think of them and acknowledge their life and that they were in fact here, to respect them, honour them and remember them. Together with just one of my dear friends we built this space of remembrance. Since its launch we have received the time and support of volunteers from all around the world who are helping us in writing, researching, documenting and honouring these martyrs of love and courage by remembering them. I am deeply thankful for everyone’s support, dedication and care. We of course cannot bring back these young lives but what we can do is defy the intentions of the murderers by honouring, respecting and remembering the ones who have been so brutally taken away

The reason why Deeyah decided to set up MEMINI in the first place was:

to remember, love and honour the ones who have been sacrificed for the safe of ‘family honour’; to raise awareness of honour killings worldwide; to help people see the real faces of this tragedy and to hopefully contribute towards positive change; and beyond everything with dignity and love to honour the memory of the lives lost

According to the UN, more than 5,000 womenand girls are killed each year globally by members of their own family. By acting upon honour matters, men succeed in maintaining the power in families and communities by denying women’s fundamental rights to be free to make their own decisions about their own lives.

Heshu Yones was 16 when her father discovered she had a relationship with a classmate. He attempted to force her to marry a cousin in Kurdistan, and subjected her to virginity testing. He stabbed Heshu to death at their West London home, because he feared she was becoming westernised. Source: MEMINI

Speaking about the response received so far, Deeyah said:

The response so far has been very positive. We’ve only had some emails with people complaining and cursing us for bringing the communities where this happens into negative light and attention. Of course the intent of MEMINI is not to stereotype any communities but rather to highlight this crime which is happening and we can not deny it is happening. By remaining silent about it we are emboldening the perpetrators, the intent of MEMINI is the very opposite of that, to expose it by showing the real faces of this tragic patriarchal notion of honour that is taking thousands of lives globally

Moreover, talking about the different communities hit by the tragic reality of honour killing, Deeyah added:

The communities in which these killings occur are strictly patriarchal and built on social and family structures that are interdependent where the good of the group is more important than the wishes of the individual, and the sexual behaviours of women are guarded and protected almost at all costs. Even though there is a popular trend to attribute honour killings to just the Muslim community, this is not actually accurate and only gives a very limited view of how big this issue in fact really is– the communities and societies with these notions of honour and these family structures where honour killings happen in fact cross religious groups. This does not excuse or reduce the fact that this must stop regardless of whatever communities this happens within

Being an entirely volunteer driven initiative, MEMINI exclusively counts on the work of its incredible volunteers who are dedicated to keep the memory of these women alive.

Deeyah remembers Ustad Sultan Khan

2011-11-27T12:42:00.001-08:00

Deeyah has just released a tribute message to the late Ustad Sultan Khan on her website.

My teacher, my ustad, my guru Sarangi maestro and classical singer Ustad Sultan Khan has passed away.

This is a tremendous and sad loss for me personally, for the world and for music. A great force of nature, force of music has left us. There was no one like him and there will be no one like him again. His mastery of his remarkable instrument and his serene depth of connection to music was profoundly inspiring. I have never heard anyone play the Sarangi with such emotion and perfection, he sang and played every single note with such honesty, love, respect and care.
Khansahib I honour you and I miss you. I have always carried your every word with me. I remember well several years ago when I was considering leaving music completely altogether you got on the phone with me and said beta I know you are old enough to make your own decisions but listen to me about this, do any music you want, in any capacity you wish, if you don't want to perform or don't want to sing anymore don't, but you should not leave music behind, promise me you will always use the talent and gift of music Allah gave you and the talent I shaped and taught with such pride and joy, so just remember to always serve that and keep music with you in anything you do.

Khansahib what a sad sad day this is...I am heartbroken now you are gone...

I will remember getting up at 5am every morning to sit and sing with you, I will remember sitting and listening to your stories and wisdom about life, art and spirituality. I will remember the endless hours you spent teaching me about music, its depth and about living every moment in its purpose, in its melody.
Thank you for blessing us all with your gift of music and love. With humility and gratitude I thank you for blessing me with the privilege and honour of being your ganda bandhan shagrid (disciple) from when I was 14 years old. I honour you and I will remember you always.

You will always be with me through music, through every single note of every moment.
--Deeyah

Ataraxis by Deeyah

2011-11-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

I am currently listening to "Ataraxis" by Deeyah, this is the last album released by Deeyah before she stepped away from performing. It's not a commercial mainstream album full of pop hits, it's a fusion of traditional singing styles merged with modern electronica. This amazing CD features Bob James, Andy Summers and fellow Norwegian trumpet player Nils Petter Molvaer. The following a few favourites of mine, that I wished to share.

DEEYAH, Jogi:

DEEYAH, No One To Tell:

DEEYAH, Pashto Lullaby:

I find Deeyah's voice absolutely stunning and this blend of styles from modern pop culture with her traditional vocal styles and depth, really bode well together. Hope you enjoy!

Women News Networks speaks to Deeyah about Multicultural Norway

2011-11-16T06:25:00.000-08:00

Women's rights advocate and international music producer Deeyah speaks to the Womens News Network about the importance of remembering victims of honour killings and she shares her own thoughts and experiences of multicultural Norway in this interview!

WNN: You were born and lived for many years in Norway, what is your opinion on the July 2011 violent killings? The killer argued that he was protecting Norway and Western Europe against Muslims and multiculturalism, how big is the presence of the Muslim community in Norway? How do you think multiculturalism influences society?

Deeyah: My grandfather was among the first immigrants to come to Norway in the late 60s.

My experience growing up in Norway was generally a very positive one, of course there were challenges but overall I am deeply thankful to have had the opportunity to grow up in a liberal society like Norway where a strong fundamental emphasis is placed on freedom of expression, women’s rights and equality– all values that I hold very dear to my heart and are principles that have formed my outlook on life and also my work.

I was a part of the first Norwegian born generation, children of immigrant parents. Growing up being from an immigrant family and a part of the non white ethnic minority community, I was always aware that I was different and at times not accepted or treated as an equal by some white people.

In the 80s and 90s we definitely felt a presence of various white right wing groups– as a teenager I actually used to participate in marches and demonstrations against skinheads, anti-immigrant and white supremacist groups. Knowing in a very personal way the level of hatred such individuals and groups carried for people of non white ethnic communities. One of the points that always used to grate on me growing up is how we were referred to in the broader mainstream society, we were referred to as foreigners and I remember always being confused why when I was born in Norway, held a Norwegian passport, spoke Norwegian like any white girl did why were people like us still referred to as foreigners…

Immigration changed the face of Norway over time and with it there have of course been some challenges and difficulties, however what has been essential is Norway’s leaders have consistently made efforts to build initiatives where inclusion and diversity was the prime focus of celebration. How successful one of the initiatives have been is hard to say but what is necessary is a genuine will to do something about the challenges we face.

I believe Norway’s leaders have always had the will and I think are now going to explore even more ways of addressing the issues on an even deeper level.

Obviously things have changed significantly since I was a child, the Muslim community in Norway now is around 100,000 and the country has developed into a far more colorful and multicultural society.

I have experienced discrimination from some white people and also from some Muslims in Norway.

When I was about 11 or 12 years old a grown white racist Norwegian man spat in my face telling that I was a black paki bitch and that I should “f” off back to the country I came from. At the age of 16 I was spat in the face by a grown sexist Muslim man telling me I was “a whore” for having become too “westernized.”

I know my experience of being exposed to discrimination from this fear mongering minority within both communities that hold deep rooted prejudices is not a unique one, but these are the sort of attitudes that do exist in some small quarters of both sides that we need to be aware of and deal with – it’s also important to be clear that one form of prejudice does not reduce or excuse the other in any way, both need to be addressed honestly, fearlessly and openly.

I am looking to the future with great optimism and hope based on the love, openness and unity the Norwegian people and leadership has shown in its most difficult time. I feel so much pride, admiration and love for my little country of big-hearted people!

WNN: In 2011, you founded Memini, a digital memorial for the victims of honour killings worldwide, what motivated you to do that?

Deeyah: I have worked with this topic for many years and what has always made my heart hurt in addition to the horrors and violence the victims of such crimes face is the intention of the killers to wipe out all signs of any existence of these young women. Not only are these murders so brutal and not only are the victims subjected to the ultimate betrayal of their family and community but the sheer tragedy of the people closest to them who should have loved them and cared about them and mourned them instead showed their very limited and conditional love and stole their life, their dreams and potential.

I wanted to create an online space where we could mourn them, think of them and acknowledge their life and that they were in fact here, to respect them, honour them and remember them. I told a dear friend of mine that I wanted to build such a place online and he immediately so kindly and graciously agreed to build it and help me start this space of remembrance. Since its launch we have received the time and support of volunteers from all around the world who are helping us in writing, researching, documenting and honouring these martyrs of love and courage by remembering them. I am deeply thankful for everyone’s support, dedication and care.

We of course cannot bring back these young lives but what we can do is defy the intentions of the murderers by honouring, respecting and remembering the ones who have been so brutally taken away.

WNN: Sisterhood, the initiative you established in 2007, had the aim of empowering young Muslim women by giving them a platform to express their creativity. Which are the current bounders limiting Muslim women today? How can they be empowered?

Deeyah: I think one of the feelings at the core of the work I do and believe in strongly is to support women and young people to fulfill their potential, for women and young people to dream and aspire to lead a life and walk the path of their own choosing, to be who they are and to be the best they can be, underlying the thought behind Sisterhood as well.
Gender equality and women’s rights are the fundamental challenges Muslim women face today. They are the very same challenges women of other communities face as well in the same context by (other) strict patriarchal societies.
Millions of lives are sacrificed every year and the oppression of women manifests in glaring problems like domestic violence, child marriage, trafficking, FGM, forced marriage, honour based violence and honour killings, infanticide, dowry killings, rape as a weapon of war and humiliation. All this happening in the name of culture and in the name of religion and in the name of tradition, tribalism, local customs and “social morality”.
There is a real need to encourage education for our girls, to empower them and encourage women’s participation in these societies.
Muslim society will prosper, flourish and progress once its women, gain the rights to have an equal voice and place in our families, in our community, country and our world. Women are the single most important key to progress in our societies. The biggest barrier to our women having the opportunity to lead a safe, equal and fulfilled life free from violence is the societal rigidity that is rooted in parameters of long standing attitudes and concepts of masculinity, honour and the cultural hierarchy of male supremacy.
What is encouraging is that there are so many wonderful and passionate people men and women out there in different corners of the world working on improving these dire circumstances faced by women every single day. My wish is to create a global network of such courageous activists, NGOs and passionate individuals to connect with each other and see if there are ways we can help, encourage and support each other in our common and very essential goal of strengthening women’s rights and women’s voices.

You can read the full interview at the Womens News Network here

Deeyah launches Honour Killings memorial website Memini

2011-11-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Deeyah launched http://www.memini.co as her way to remember the Victims of Honour Killings Worldwide.

Norwegian music producer and activist Deeyah, in association with friends, volunteers and supporters, is launching MEMINI on April 7th 2011. This day marks the anniversary of the public killing of Du'a Khalil Aswad and the International Honour Killings Awareness Day.

MEMINI is an online site of remembrance for victims of honour killings: www.memini.CO

"The perpetrators of these honour motivated crimes want all signs of the lives of these young women to be completely wiped out-- almost as if these young women never existed in the first place. Through MEMINI, we humbly hope to do our small part in acknowledging the existence of these women and honoring their memory". --Deeyah

Deeyah Interview

2010-11-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

They say music is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to conveying a message, however the recognition of just how powerful a tool it is has meant that many artists have had their music banned or frowned upon by those who deem it to be unacceptable. However it is artists like, Norway-born Deeyah, who have fought for their freedom of expression and the human rights of many that exist in music and beyond. Deeyah is no stranger to the music scene; her career which started from a young age caused a fair amount of controversy, leading to a musical debate on the presence of Asian females in music. However her trials and tribulations, opened up doors for others who have gone through similar difficulties and it is through her many recent projects that she has created a platform for the ‘banned' to be heard and exposed. In light of her most recent project ‘Listen To The Banned', I catch up with Deeyah to learn a bit more of her past experiences and future ventures!

Deeyah

1) How did you get started in the music scene?

My dad has always loved music, and I think he wanted to be in music himself, he really was sad that he didn't get to learn the sitar, or some sort of instrument himself, but he taught himself a lot about music. When I was 7 he heard me singing outside, and he called me inside and he said “hey sing again, do exactly what you were doing outside do that right now in front of me.” So I did, and then the very next day he rounded up all of my barbies, my toys and put them in a black bag, grabbed my hand and took me outside and said “say bye bye”. He threw it away and gave me a little Casio keyboard to play instead and started me in music. I started taking lessons, practising and it all began from there.

2) Your dad was very much involved in music too, is it true he even started a music organisation?

Yep, when I was younger he had an organisation called Raga music society, and it was basically Pakistani and North Indian classical music, what he would do is bring over musicians from Pakistan and India to Norway, to introduce that music to western eyes and ears. It led to him arranging a lot of collaborations between Jazz musicians and Pakistani singers. So he loved music and whatever he could contribute to music to bring our music to the western people, he tried to do. So I had those musicians around the house from when I was little, so I was always exposed to it, and if it wasn’t them my dad would always be playing his albums. So music was lierally always around for me.

3) What was it like growing up in Norway?

It was unusual, all the schools I went to it was only myself and maybe one other Pakistani girl if I was lucky. But now if you go it is a lot more like London, but then I think it was very strange for the Norwegians, even though I was born and raised in Norway, they called me and people like me ‘foreigners'. There was a decent amount of racism, and there still is but I think they are getting more used to brown people. Growing up I was very rooted into our culture, was never allowed to speak Norwegian in the house, always had to speak Urdu or Punjabi, anytime me and my brother did try, my dad would yell “No Norwegian, Speak your own language”. He was really strict about our culture and traditions.

4) How did your upbringing shape your musical style?

My early training was pure, old traditional classical music, but what was great about my parents is they were very liberal minded, so even though they wanted me to be very rooted in our culture, they were always open to the fact that you should always have influence, they never said you shouldn't do or listen to western music. To them, music was music, but my dad always used to say, you need to learn our style of music first because it's the most complicated and oldest. So I was taught to learn the rules and then if I want to break them later, then I can. I am very thankful because the way I listen to music and the way I can understand music even today has a lot more depth to it then if I had not learnt that training. So it has shaped me in what kind of music I did and it has also shaped me in how I deal with music, how I hear it and how it affects me in general.

5) Were there people in the Asian community that did not agree with your music career?

Yes from the beginning of my music career, I started at the age of 7 and I did one of my first television performances when I was 8, so I started very young and continued on. I would perform at festivals, Jazz shows, and world music events. The more attention I started getting when I was young, my dad got a lot of stick for from the Pakistani people, they would come to the house and give him a talking to, and say “we don't let our boys do this, why would you let your daughter do this, it is not acceptable for a good Muslim family to be doing music.” So at the beginning it was like that, then the better I did, it went from people just opposing it by talking about it to people who started confronting me as well, then eventually getting worse. We had to change our home phone at least 3 or 4 different times and I had people coming to my school claiming they need to talk to me and trying to get me in their car, so it was very intense.

6) What gave you the courage to carry on, despite all the disapproval and threats?

Well I also had a lot of support, I had more support than not. That has always been the case. But one of the things that have always been hard for me personally was the attention that Muslims get in Norway was really negative and was always connected to violence and drugs and way I came along they started writing about me in the newspapers, about this little girl who does music and was doing good things; I used to teach people about music even when I was young, so I did a lot of cross cultural and outreach positive projects. So I used to think for the first time we are getting a lot of positive attention in the newspapers, for once they were writing about Muslim and Pakistani without it being related to violence. The media were saying something nice so I thought that my community would be really proud of me to create something that was getting positive attention and when I found out that some people were still so angry at me, not proud or supportive, as a kid that was really difficult. I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t be supportive of someone doing something nice, all the people involved in gangs and doing bad things didn’t get the same stick that I did.

7) Was this the reason you chose to leave Norway and move to London?

Eventually it got to such a bad point where again the more success I would get the worse the problem would get, the more I had videos on TV, the more media I was in, the worse it got. I would get people confront me on the streets to the point where I could not leave the house on my own anymore, I always used to have people with me and at times they would also end up in fights because of me. So there wasn't any point for me to stay in Norway because I couldn't function or live a normal life and the amount of problems that my family got as well meant I had to go, so I bought a one way ticket to London . I had been to London when I was 12, and I remember feeling like I didn't stand out, and feeling like there is a lot more people like me, so I always had a bit of a soft spot for London. When I was in Norway the only place I could think about moving to was London , and when I came here I saw lots of Asian girls like myself, so I felt safe.

8) How did you find the music scene in London?

When I came to London , I remember asking my managers, why there was not another Asian female singer already in London . Because when I was in Norway I was a mainstream artist. So I questioned them as to why there was no Muslim female singer in the mainstream here, they would tell me not to worry, but I was worried because Asians have been in London a lot longer than in Norway , so I always had that in the back of my mind. Then eventually I found out why there wasn't one, and it was because the same problems are here as they are in Norway .

9) Do you feel that you could have received a lot more support from the Asian media?

I think the Asian media was very supportive of me, I actually think that he majority of the Asian community, and the Muslim communities were really supportive too. I've not experienced anything negative from the Asian media at all believe it or not, I actually found a lot of encouragement, I think where it could probably help more is once negative reactions start happening, I think if the Asian media can keep standing with you, I think that might really turn other people off from getting as loud as they get. I've had support from B4U, I've had a lot of support from many reporters, but I think it's a lot easier for boys to do what they do. There's a reason there is not more girls and I think the Asian media does support the girls but I think the community doesn't as much. I don't think the girls feel very encouraged, so I think we may have to go a little more out of our way to give a lot more support and backing to girls because we know that they are so far behind the boys and they get so much more stick than the boys. I think the Asian media did really support me though.

10) You no longer sing or perform, why is this?

Nope I don't sing or perform anymore since 2006, I did one album but I didn't release it I just did it because it was something I wanted to do. I decided that I wanted to support other people now and its been really hard in some ways because I have been so involved in music since the age of 7 and I've always performed. But I found more happiness in supporting other people than myself, I never thought I would find anything else to do that I would love as much, and I think I have found it.

11) Tell us a bit about the ‘Listen To The Banned’ compilation C.D? How did you join forces with Freemuse for this project?

Freemuse is an organisation that supports freedom of musical expression; they also support the human rights of musicians all around the world. When I was going through some troubles they were very supportive of me, they were among the few people that did stand up and publically support me and were very understanding. I kept in touch with them for quite a while now, they produce reports and support artists who are going to court, one of the artists they helped recently in Pakistan was targeted by the Taliban, and they do a lot of work like that. So I asked them whether they had ever considered putting together an album that might help support the cause even more, for people that might not read your reports or be aware of some of the work you do but who love music and could be introduced to you through music. They said they had considered it but did not know how to do it because they are not music industry people, they are musicians but not in the industry. So I told them I may be able to help by seeing who I can find and we just started from there. It took a good couple of years to find the right people. To find the music, I went through all their databases of all the cases they had worked on, I had them suggest artists that they liked as well, so I went through piles of music and stories of artists. There we some I wanted to include but we weren't able to this time, some of them I wanted to include but we couldn't find the people who held the rights, because some had passed away and we couldn't find their family. Because of all the music that is out there this is probably going to end up being the first in the series.

12) Will there ever be a ‘Listen To The Banned’ live concert?

I would love to do a concert with them all, I have actually been asked that and I think it would be really good. Some of the artists probably won't be able to make it, but we could do it through Skype or whatever! I think that it would be really exciting to do, maybe even a tour. It was a really interesting process getting to listen to all this music and read through all the stories, then we had to find the right team of people to work on it, we needed people who understood it who wouldn't just throw it out there or put it in their draw. It comes out in the USA, end of this month, which I didn't expect but it will get a release there as well, distributed through Warner Brothers, so that will be good! Amnesty international in the UK have decided to support it, so it's not available through their website and catalogues, which is excellent. So it's got some great support, which I am pleased about because they deserve it.

Deeyah13) You do a lot of work for Women’s rights, has this always been something that has been important to you?

My mum has always worked with women and kids, she used to be a teacher but in recent years she's a translator as well, so she works with a lot of refugees and women shelters, she has always been very involved with a lot of social issues and a lot of issues to do with especially women. So I have been exposed to it from a very young age and I've been exposed to some really bad things that I have seen in extended family. Especially when it comes to women's issues and human rights, it has always been a big passion of mine and some of the experiences that I've had combined with that has made it become something that I have to do.

14) Tell us a bit about the Sisterhood project you founded?

Sisterhood started in 2007, it was for young aspiring Muslim girls, born and raised around Europe , girls like me. I wanted to provide a platform for these girls to have their music heard, so we put out our own online mixtape for that, I also wanted them to have the opportunity to connect with each other and to be able to share their experiences, their good and bad times, their struggles, issues with family, with people outside, with the music industry or just the issues with writing music. I wanted to give them the support I never had, I had it from my family and from a lot of people but there was nothing like this for me, I didn't want these girls to feel some of the things I've had to feel or as alone as I've had to feel. I wanted them to have a bit more of a sisterhood and a bit more of a collective that they can turn to for any kind of difficulty, it doesn't have to be related to music it could be personal. So I started it that way, we did the mixtape, and I'll probably end up doing other projects beyond the music, whether it's writing, photography or art. Sisterhood is for our young girls, they don't have to be professional; it's more about encouraging them to be creative and to feel like it's ok to express yourself, your hopes and dreams and to find support to do that.

15) You are working on a documentary about honour killings, how is it coming along?

It is really hard! My background is music, although film is another creative experience but still, very hard. The minute the camera is off, people feel like they can share a lot more, so it's much harder to get it on camera. I started it a year and a half ago and I will probably finish it in another 6 months, its tough and the subject itself is horrific. The topic of women having the right to choose for themselves has always been something very important to me, in a different way, but not being allowed to do music as a profession, then the same root of the problem but in different shapes like not being able to pick your own partner is something that a lot of other women face. So that has always been very important to me, and the consequences different women face when they do make their own choices, and for people picking their own partner it may be forced marriages or honour killings, or violence, they are forced into positions that they don't really want, is very very important to me and to highlight that in different ways that I can is something that is important to me. And one of the ways was to highlight honour killings, because it is on the rise and its happening here. I would expect this in Pakistan, Iran, in our countries back home for our parents, but I wouldn't expect it to exist here where young incredible girls with so much talent and so much potential don't get to fulfil it and their lives are cut short – because why – because they fell in love. It's a very difficult process; it's a different medium for me completely. Its such a dark subject, it's a stain on our community, most of us know it's there but want to pretend like it isn't and just move on, but that's not going to fix it. We have to admit it exists and figure out a way of not doing this. There's nothing wrong with parents taking certain things personally, or having expectations of their children, but to punish your child in that way is wrong. So working on this has been very challenging, it will hopefully be done next year. Everyone is learning about it a lot more, but officials still don't know enough for where they could be as effective as they could be, because in many of the cases the girls did go and ask for help and they got turned away because they did not really understand what she was talking about or realise that this could happen, so they sent her back and because they sent her back she is now dead. So if we can help also educate the health system, the education system and the police – which are all 3 main areas where they may go for help, they need to be able to know enough – to where they can help them, believe them and be able to recognise she might be in trouble. Because most girls are not going to ask for help and the ones that do desperately need that help, and I don't think people realise how hard it is for a girl to do that, and she may not have two chances, it might just be the one time, so whoever she meets at the police station, or her teacher or doctor, they have to take her seriously.

16) Where can we find out more about your work and plans?

You can find me on Facebook : Deeyah
http://www.listentothebanned.com/
http://sisterhoodnetwork.org/

Audio Interview With Deeyah

2009-01-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of: http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/23498

Listen Below:

For our global hit today, we meet a singer who hails from Norway. She grew up in a Muslim immigrant community there.

Deeyah -- as she's known -- made a name for herself at an early age. But success also made her the target of harassment and threats. And now she's speaking out.

The World's Andrea Smardon has her story.

Deeyah didn't start her musical career intending to a make a statement. But when she put out this single with rapper Young MayLay, she knew it would cause a stir.

The song is called, "What Will it Be?" and the video shows a series of people ripping tape off of their mouths. It also shows a lot of Deeyah's midriff. At the end of the video, Deeyah throws off a full black burqua, to reveal her bikini clad body.

DEEYAH: "What I was trying to do was draw a line in the sand. Saying enough. But essentially it was about standing up, and claiming myself in some ways and saying no more."

Deeyah has faced a strong backlash, including harassment, assaults and threats since she began performing. After years of trying to dodge these confrontations, she says the song. "What Will it Be?" was the first time she addressed the problem directly.

Deeyah was born Deepika Thataal in Oslo, Norway. Her Pakistani father and Afghani mother are Sunni Muslims. By the time Deeyah was 7, she showed promise as a singer, so her father made some plans.

DEEYAH: "He sat me down and said, 'You know listen, there are two professions that I know of that it only matters how talented you are or how hard you work…where you will not be judged or discriminated against because of your ethnicity your culture or your gender. Those two professions are sports or music, and you know sports I know nothing about, so it's going to have to be music."

She studied with respected teachers from Pakistani and Northern Indian classical traditions. Deeyah was a teenager when she put out two critically acclaimed albums. But some conservative Muslims in Norway did not like the image she was presenting, especially when she showed her uncovered back in a video. Deeyah and her family received threatening phone calls. People spat at her, called her names, and she was attacked at a concert. She decided to leave Norway.

DEEYAH: "It got a point where I couldn't walk down the street without something happening, without some sort of incident taking place. And I just decided that it wasn't worth me putting my family through more of this."

At the age of 19, Deeyah bought a one-way ticket to London. There she released a single with a video called "Plan of my Own."

The video featured Deeyah dancing seductively, and it unleashed outrage from some Muslims in the UK. Deeyah found herself in a familiar position. This time, she decided to move to the US.

Deeyah is now 31. She says the threats and harassment have taken a toll. Her latest album is called Ataraxi, which means the absence of stress of anixiety. It's a collaboration with jazz and electronic musicians. She says it wasn't so much a career move as it was a form of therapy.

DEEYAH: "I just needed to retreat into the music. Just do whatever I felt like, and through music find that peace of mind that I keep losing because of all these external problems."

The first song is called 'Hope' and it features a recording of Deeyah singing on television when she was 7-years-old.

DEEYAH: "The song is actually one of the hymns that Mahatma Ghandi was very fond of. It's basically about peace, it's about coexistence and tolerance and understanding. And you know, a 7 year old singing it in a 7 year old innocent, naïve, hopeful and also somewhat ignorant way too, I thought was really quite sweet and also quite sad."

On the album, Deeyah draws from the classical training of her youth. She sings mostly in Punjabi and Urdu, her first languages. She also includes a song in Pashto, her mother's language. She ends the album with a song featuring prayers from different faiths including Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. The song is called "Oneness."

Deeyah says she doesn't know what's next for her musically. These days she's focused on helping other women, especially young Muslim women.

DEEYAH: "I've had countless e-mails and messages, and letters from girls, who say we really wish we could do what you do, we really want to, but we can't we're not allowed to, or we're not supposed to, or whatever."

Deeyah has launched a project called Sisterhood. She's produced an online compilation of female Muslim singers, rappers and poets from around the world. And she says she's trying to find ways to mentor young artists, to connect them with producers and studios. She says the point is to create a support network.

DEEYAH: "I don't want them to feel what I've had to feel. I don't want them to have to go through some of the things that I've had to go through. The more of us there are, the better and easier this is going to get."

For The World, I'm Andrea Smardon.

Exiled Singer Deeyah awarded with Freedom Prize

2008-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Deeyah, the exiled Norwegian singer and activist, was awarded with an ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize at a ceremony in London on 26 November 2008.

More than 900 artists from 86 countries had been nominated. Three artists, Deeyah along with Turkish-Kurdish Ferhat Tunç and Burmese Win Maw, nominated by Freemuse, all made it to the final shortlist of five in their respective categories.

The main prize category was awarded to the Zimbabwean playwright Cont Mhlanga — a fierce opponent of the Mugabe regime. Deeyah was awarded 10,000 US dollars as third place winner, which gives her a financial opportunity to continue her work for freedom of expression.

The prize recognizes artists who use their talents in promoting empathy and understanding and confronting discrimination and oppression.

Appreciation
Says Deeyah: “I feel proud and overwhelmed! To even be considered in the context of such extraordinary artists and talent is a tremendous honour. To make it this far is absolutely unexpected, humbling and a great privilege that I am extremely grateful for”.

Deeyah was nominated by Freemuse for her two of her major productions — ‘Sisterhood’ and the video ‘What will it be’.

Exiled in the USA, Deeyah finds the The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize a wonderful and inspiring initiative.

“The belief in change through artistic expression is near and dear to me. I am very very appreciative of the work of groups like ArtVenture and Freemuse, and I thank you for your necessary work and for your encouragement and support.”

The panel
The final award winners were chosen by an independent panel consisting of amongst others Brazilian theatre director & writer Augusto Boal, founder of the Theatre of the Oppressed, the Chilean poet Carlos Reyes-Manzo, who as a photojournalist has documented the lives of thousands of marginalised peoples and Iranian filmmaker, Samira Makhmalbaf.

At the prize ceremony in London Carlos Reyes-Manzo said: “Deeyah is an important voice telling us what happens round the world to women.”

About the Freedom to Create Prize
The Award was initiated by ArtVenture, a grant-making philanthropic organisation and Freemuse’s sister organisation, ARTICLE 19 — a human rights pioneer which defends and promotes freedom of expression and freedom of information all over the world.

The prize ceremony was attended by leading representatives of human rights organisations working with artistic freedom of expression, artists and members of the jury. The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Prize consisted of three categories. The winner of the main prize was awarded 50,000 US dollars.

The ArtVenture Freedom to Create Youth Prize open to artists and oargnisations working with young people under the age of 18 was given to Brazilian hip hop collective ‘City of Rhyme’.

45 years in prison
Freemuse has nominated Burmese singer Win Maw to the ‘Imprisoned Artist Prize’. Making it to the final shortlist Wim Maw was considered an important voice for freedom of speech. The award was given to his Burmese colleague, satirist Zarganar, recently sentenced to 45 years in prison by the military dictattors of Burma.

Of all nominating organisations Freemuse was the only human rights organisations which succeeded geting all of its nominees to the shortlist.

Says Freemuse Executive Director, Marie Korpe:
“This is a very important acknowledgement of the importance of the role that musicians play in today’s society for freedom of expression and we congratulate the artists that we have the honour to working with.”

The organisers of the event declared in a statement:
“Some governments harass and impoverish their citizens, steal resources, stifle entrepreneurship and undermine human ingenuity and hope. In these societies, art can play an important role in giving a voice to those who are denied opportunity and resources. The arts empower people through the free expression of ideas, hopes, dreams and aspirations. It helps to create our future. Our goal is to use the arts to alleviate suffering and provide opportunities to the world’s most neglected communities.”

Deeyah Reacts To Benazir Bhutto Assassination

2007-12-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Deepika 'Deeyah' Thathaal, a Norwegian singer, composer and human rights activist of Pakistani Punjabi descent, issued a statement regarding the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto earlier today. "Benazir Bhutto was a courageous and remarkable woman," Deeyah writes. "She was an important part of our past and was going to be an essential part of our future. This is a great loss for us all. RIP our Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Pakistan - you will be missed."

Source

An interview with Deeyah, The Muslim Madonna

2007-06-15T03:40:00.000-07:00

Deeyah was originally born in Norway and was signed to Warner Music in the 90's. Since leaving her label she has spoken up for Muslim women who have been suppressed by Muslim men across the globe. In some cases this has led to threats against Deeyah herself. She now lives out of a suit case traveling across the globe, recording and bringing to light issues which media may not cover normally in-order to bring about change.

interview:

Since your last release in the UK where have you been and what have you been up to?

I have been spending most of my time in the US where I have been writing new material for two separate solo albums. I''ve been doing a lot of work with Freemuse (Freedom of Musical Expression) and ICAHK (International Campaign Against Honour Killings) over the past few months and will continue doing more work with them. I am also in the process of putting together a mixtape that will feature Muslim and Asian female artists from Europe and the US. The purpose of this mixtape is to promote the female talent out there.

Recently you''ve helped highlight a story of the public stoning of a young 17 year old girl in Northern Iraq, you even managed to get this horrific event into the international media, why did you do this?

I first read about the story of Dua Khalil in a Norwegian newspaper and was shocked by her grotesque public execution and by her perceived "crime" which was simply falling in love with a sunni Muslim boy (Dua belonged to the Yezadi religion). I continued doing more research about this story and learned even more details from the wonderful people at ICAHK (International Campaign Against Honour Killings). I was shown the mobile phone footage of Dua''s stoning which made my stomach turn. I was disgusted that by the minute by minute coverage of the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case in the American media yet the death of this 17 year year old girl had received little or no international media attention. I got in contact with journalists and reporters who have interviewed me in the past and who I''ve kept in touch with on and off over the past few years. I begged them to please do anything they could to give this story any level of attention. After a couple of weeks I got a thank you email from The Volkskrant (a national newspapers) in The Netherlands saying they had now carried Dua''s story on their front cover and another note from CNN who ran a piece as well.

You are the most popular female muslim artist on Myspace with over 100 000 registered friends. When we see most music pages on Myspace we tend to see mostly just info relating to the artist their tours, events releases and etc but reading your page and blogs there seems to be more posts from you about women''s rights and human rights issues than promotional material about yourself, your music--you''ve posted a lot of stories about women''s rights abuses like honour killings, why is this?

I think internet sites like Myspace are a great way of reaching people directly and raising awareness about issues that are close to my heart. I started posting blogs and bulletins on Myspace covering stories that I believe need more attention and that wouldn''t normally get very much attention. What I like about sites like Myspace is the direct connection with people out there and the fact that there is no censorship or barriers in the distribution of information.

I actively want to promote the great work that the International Campaign Against Honour Killings does. There are more than 5000 women who lose their lives in the name of honour and honour based violence. Honour based crimes, despite what a lot of people think, is a practice not rooted in religion or any one particular country or people. It is based on tribal traditions and rituals that pre-date Islam. This is something that unfortunately is still going on and even more awareness needs to be raised about this issue. Not only are women in 3rd world countries suffering from this horrific practice but young women in the West are affected by this. The ugliness of this issue can not be excused or avoided, work has to be done to highlight these stories and changes made so this does not continue happening in this day and age.

Do you think you are treated differently in the music industry because you are a Muslim or a woman?

There are not many Muslim women in the mainstream music industry and that''s with good reason. From my own experiences of more than 10 years in Norway and the UK the problems I have been faced with is very different from what a white or black female artist deals with. The music industry is a tough business to be in as it is the additional cultural expectations of what is and is not acceptable behavior and choices for a woman makes this an even harder career to be in.

In your controversial music vide What Will It Be, were you surprised that the video was banned by certain Asian TV channels?

I was surprised at the extent of complaints that the TV channels received. I was disappointed that the channel was sent violent threats for airing the video. I am sorry that the channel had to endure this sort of treatment from some of their viewers. I know that the channel staff and executives actually support me and the video I did and for this I am grateful.

Why have you decided to compile an album of artists who have been censored for their music and views?

I became aware of the essential work that Freemuse does after doing an interview with them a year or so ago. Freemuse stands for "FREEdom of MUSical Expression" and is an independent international organization advocating freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide. I will be executive producing a compilation album with Freemuse that will highlight the music and stories of various artists from around the world. The reason I wanted to work on this project is a believe strongly in the artists rights to freedom of expression and I was touched by the powerful stories of some of the artists that will be featured on this album. These artists have been banned and censored for their social and political views and some have been chastised simply for being musicians and women in societies where individuals and especially women are not allowed to perform publicly.

Do you ever feel that you are in any way shape or form in danger by extremists because of your outspoken views on the role of women in modern day society?

Although I still receive threatening and violent messages on Myspace and my official website, I''ve been spending time away in the US so I feel more comfortable knowing that I will more than likely not be in an area or situation that could prompt a physical altercation compared to me being in the UK. In the past when visiting the UK I have had people with me who watch over me and can be helpful if something was to happen. They are with me more as a deterrent.

Do you feel discrimination against Muslims has increased over the past few years?

Yes I think so. I feel the post 9/11 world has changed the place of Muslims in Western society. Muslims are scrutinized and viewed in a far more negative light than ever before. I think this is a sad development and something that has collectively made our reality far more unpleasant which has made a lot of Muslims feel as if we are constantly under attack and question. I think a lot of our youth is treated unfairly and are discriminated against on some level. There seems to be a lot of fear mongering going on that directly affects many Muslim youths and this is truly disheartening. I think this does not just affect the UK but is a problem across Europe. In my humble opinion the only way to progress from this climate of fear and intolerance on all sides is to create more understanding between Muslims and Europeans. Muslims have to become more vocal and reclaim our culture and religion from the hands of criminal extremists who want nothing more than to continue preying on this instability and the discontent of young Muslim men. We as Muslims have to learn how to be honest about some of the issues that face us within our community before pointing fingers to the outside. We can not blame everyone else for our problems we have to stand accountable for some of the ills within. With regards to Westerners/Europeans I think tolerance is key I don''t mean to say that they should become complaisant and feel muzzled by political correctness. I think discrimination against Muslims plays an important role in distancing the two communities from each other rather than building understanding and tolerance. Honesty is what''s needed first and foremost in dealing with the issues we''re all faced with right now.

Do you see a place for music in Islam?

To me music is another form of devotion to God (Allah). The purity and truth in music helps me get closer to my creator. I do not believe that music is impure or not allowed in Islam.

Allegations have been made over the past couple of years that you are in fact Hindu and not from a Muslim family and that the death threats you have received are not true because you have not reported them to the police. Why do you think that certain organizations have claimed that your experiences are not true?

I reported the threats I have received to the Met police about 2 years ago and have since kept in regular contact with the officer in charge of my case. Initially I did not want to go to the police because I didn''t feel they would be able to help in anyway until something had actually happened. Based on my experience in Norway of people telling me this was my culture, my community and my problem that I needed to deal with it myself. This is what I initially tried to do in the UK. I thought I would have to deal with this myself and if anything, that an official statement from a Muslim organization could prove to be helpful more so than the police. This was not the case. I went to the police and I am very happy I did so. The Met Police have been extremely understanding, supportive and helpful in providing me with advice. I was struck by the depth of understanding they have for the cultural intricacies and mentality which is something I very much appreciate.

It is no secret that my birth name is Deepika which is traditionally a Hindu name. I have been known in Norway since I was 7 years old and there are a host of Norwegian newspaper articles online that date back more than 10 years that refer to my Muslim heritage. I find it ludicrous that certain organizations have attempted to strip me of my identity and are perpetuating a complete fabrication to further their own agenda, rather than even bothering to do some research on my background before accusing me of lying about my own religious and cultural belonging. This is nothing short of slander. I would like to tell you a quote that the police officer I work with said to me regarding these allegations -- it''s a quote from the Qur''an, from the book of Jonah, "After the truth, what is there but error"

We hear that Salman Rushdie is a fan of yours, how do you feel about that?

I received a very nice email from him about a year ago. I was extremely humbled by his words of support and solidarity. Subsequently we’ve met several times and keep in contact. He is a very intelligent and charismatic person who has suffered a great deal of pain. One thing I have learned from him is you can not be scared away from living life and standing up for what you believe in.

You''ve lived all over the globe. How has a diverse experience helped you become who you are?

I have always believed that traveling and living in more places than where you grew up is quite healthy. Being exposed to a variety of people, lifestyles and cultures is of benefit to everyone. I think it''s helped my outlook on life and people in general. It''s made me more able to adapt to different environments and develop a better understanding of people.

You have songs with lyrics in Pashto, Punjabi and Urdu. Can you speak these languages fluently? Does language shape your outlook of the world?

I can speak Urdu and Punjabi fluently but don''t know Pashto too well although it''s my mother''s language. In fact not understanding and speaking Pashto is one of my biggest regrets. For me personally I think knowing more languages most definitely helps shape even change one''s outlook on life. To me it helps give a better understanding and appreciation of the depth of emotion in art, culture and literature. Urdu poetry in particular is something I greatly enjoy.

Who have been your musical influences? Who coached your talent?

My musical influences are quite diverse from growing up listening to Abida Parveen, Reshma, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano, Mehdi Hassan, Usad Fateh Ali Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Marilyn Manson, Alice In Chains, Faith No More, The Who, U2 to Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince.

I started singing when I was 7 and became the student of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan of the Patiala Gharana and Ustad Sultan Khan. I feel very honored and privileged to have received the training of these two incredible artists and learning under their strict discipline and guidance for many years.

How has your professional career helped you shape your views on faith and gender issues?

My professional career has not shaped my faith or views on other faiths. My faith is a part of who I am because of my upbringing and my parents.

The music industry can be quite a tough and unpleasant business at times and I would say my faith and background has probably helped me stay grounded and away from certain elements of the industry. Because my chosen profession is music I quickly learned the hard way that being from the background that I am this would be an uphill struggle for me. This industry is very tough as it is, but my identity being what it is and being a woman has made life even harder in my case.

From the very beginning of my career in Norway I faced a lot of prejudice from my own community name calling and a lot of negative talk which quickly turned into harassment, intimidation and violent threats. This has probably been one of the toughest things that I have had to deal with throughout my career in Norway and eventually in England as well. Other than feeling great disappointment with the reactions from my community it''s just been heartbreaking for me to learn and come to terms with the level of hatred directed towards me from my own for so many years now. Growing up in Norway and pretty much always being either the only brown kid at school or one of very few I experienced discrimination and racism, so I was always prepared for intolerance and prejudice from white racists I just never expected that I would be faced with way stronger hate from my own. All through this my faith has gotten stronger and it''s made me strong enough today after all these years to actually address these issues openly.

While you support the freedom of choice for women, how do you react to people who accuse you of promoting the objectification of women?

I do not believe I promote the objectification of women. The only thing I promote through my music, visuals or in what I speak about is the right of choice for women and for individuals irrespective of gender, culture or race. I do not believe that femininity is disgusting or impure.

We all have our own levels of comfort and limits on what we feel is and isn''t appropriate and this will obviously vary from one person to the next.

To some a woman wearing jeans and a tank top can be offensive and objectifying, to others it can be a woman in a suit jacket and skirt or a bathing suit-- while to someone else a woman wearing a burka can be the biggest symbol of desire, temptation or even objectification. The bottom line is that this is all subjective and a matter of perspective. The level of respect a person is worthy of is not, in my eyes, determined by what they wear. The view that a woman is somehow not capable of being both feminine and intelligent I find quite patronizing.

The social taboos and hypocrisy attached to sexuality in our culture is prevalent and the source of a lot of pain and problems.

In our society as long as perceived illicit sexual behavior is kept discreet and not perceived to challenge the social and patriarchal family values, anything goes as long as you are a man. We are always up in arms about women who step outside of what is considered "acceptable" behavior yet through our silence and double standards we legitimize abuse, violence, honor crimes, gay bashing and continue to promote the segregation and seclusion of women. We as women bear the sole blame and consequences and the weight of the perceived dignity of the entire community. We are taught from a young age to live for others and to sacrifice our dreams and hopes just on the basis of "what will THEY say?". Our choices are directed by THEM as in the community and if anyone steps out of line with that everyone''s claws come out in an attempt to discredit and shut the person who doesn''t say or do what is considered acceptable or appropriate obedient female behavior.

Once again, I have never once in my life said that I expect people to dress like me or follow my choices, but rather that women need to have the right to decide for themselves how they want to live their life -- that women should have the right to make their own choices whatever they may be from the choice of career, life partner to something as small as dress. Most societies objectify women in one way or another whether it be covering and hiding us or pressurizing women to feel like they have to look a certain way in order to be desirable. Yet we put no pressure of responsibility and expectation of control on men and their behavior.

I fully support the complete and true choice of a woman if it is free from any pressure, intimidation or imposed expectations by others. This means I have nothing but respect for women who choose to wear the hijab, the burka, a miniskirt or bikini or whether she decides to become a doctor or a dancer. Whether she marries someone from a village in Pakistan or someone in Italy. I will always stand up for the right to free choice and expression.

Do you think it is important to highlight your religious identity as an artist?

I have always been very proud and comfortable with my identity, but I don''t believe it''s relevant to announce my personal beliefs to everyone. My faith is mine only for me and not really the concern of others. My Allah knows how I live my life and what is in my heart and that is the most important thing to me, not what others would like to think that they know. However, once I became known in Norway, because there had not been any artists before me with my cultural and religious background, the media highlighted this fact every chance they got.

I started singing and appearing in the Norwegian media from the age of 7 and my background has been common knowledge since then. Personally I didn''t really mind this. In fact I felt very proud. For once in my life I started reading articles in the national newspapers in Norway where the journalists were writing about a Muslim, born and raised in Norway, and only mentioning my musical accomplishments. This was instead of the usual newspaper headlines about Muslims only being violence related. So, since pretty much the beginning of my career in Norway, the public was made aware by the media of my background. It was never really up to me to make it known or to keep it to myself. It''s been out there and well known from the very start.

Being a musician and a public personality, how do you hope to highlight the issues you feel strongly about?

I feel music can give me the voice and ability to bring attention to issues close to my heart. Art asks questions even if they are unpopular or uncomfortable questions and to me music is one of the most truthful and universal forms of expression.

I am writing and recording 2 separate solo album project at the moment which musically highlights my influences and my musical background. Lyrically this is the first time I am writing and recording a body of material that touches on issues I believe strongly in while also commenting on the state of the world we''re living in today the post 9/11 climate of fear, paranoia, hate, war and politics. Some of the songs on the new album tackle racism and anti-Muslim feeling that is building around the world which is constantly being fueled by Islamic extremists who give our religion a bad name. I do think it is important to deal with the problems within our community in order to more effectively address the pressures and prejudices from outside.

Other than highlighting my views on war, human rights, racism and social issues through my music I am doing work with a few Muslim and Asian women''s shelters and organizations in bringing attention to the situation of our women. Since I started publicly speaking about some of my experiences I have received countless emails from young Muslim men and women who like me were born and raised in The West who find themselves being misrepresented, misunderstood and discriminated against not only by Westerners but also by other Muslims. A lot of these kids echoed my own feelings growing up in a Western country talking about the feeling of not belonging while feeling alone in our experiences. As a result of this I have decided to start an organization that will be launched soon. The name is BTC which stands for Be The Change (the name is based on the Mahatma Gandhi saying "You must be the change you wish to see in the world").

I initially intended for this organization to be for young Muslims and young people of immigrant background living in Europe and the US. However I have decided to try and create a platform where like minded people can come together to air their concerns and issues regardless of race or religious background. One of the main purposes of this organization is to provide an open, judgement free and supportive environment for progressive people. Essentially BTC is a pro-active movement focusing predominantly on campaigning and promoting human rights and women''s rights issues, freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination. We often forget that each and every one of us has the power to affect change and make a difference in our personal lives as well as in society at large--and this is what BTC is all about.

Does Islam/Muslims need reform? What changes do you propose?

I feel we need to re-claim not only our voice but our identity as Muslims, which has been hijacked by people who claim to be Muslims yet who preach hatred and violence. I am not a scholar nor am I arrogant enough to think that I have the answers. What I do believe is we need to address a fundamental problem and confusion in the minds of many fellow Muslims. We desperately need to learn the distinction between local customs and cultural traditions that are perpetuated by many in the name of our religion. Despicable practices like crimes committed in the name of honor, female genital mutilation and violence against women being committed in the name of religion has to be rooted out and no excuses made for it. People who use Islam to sanction their own authority and use religion as the justification to instill fear in people in order to exercise control and stop anyone from questioning them is disgraceful. I think it is vital to encourage free thinking and the right to question self proclaimed religious leaders. Just because someone is in a position of authority does not make them exempt from scrutiny or beyond criticism. Representatives of our community or religion are not divine, only the Quran is. Not the people who interpret it or teach it.

I also think that our women should be encouraged to participate in politics and to play a larger role in religious affairs. Greater leadership roles for our women should be supported in our society with for example giving complete acceptance to female imams and female religious scholars.

I believe very strongly that we need to give a lot more attention to the personal problems our children and younger generations face in order to stop them from getting sucked up in hate mongering and falling into the hands of people that preach violence.

Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of people who don''t actually truly understand Islam. We all find it frustrating when non muslims make assumptions about Muslims and Islam without having much knowledge of the religion, but what is sadder is when people who claim to be "very good" Muslims don''t know very much about what they actually believe and why. I can''t stress this enough but I believe critical thought and free thinking is essential, it is not a sin to actually use the brain Allah gave us, but unfortunately many will blindly believe what they have been told without actually understanding or giving things much thought.

To me going through empty motions for the sake of it just because you think you should or have been told to do so does not make one a "better" believer--if one doesn''t understand that as Muslims the most important lessons we are meant to learn is humility, kindness, respect, peace, love and unity. It is not some sort of a competition with each other of who is a better believer judged by, for example, how you look on the outside. I find it quite disturbing that to some, the length of someone''s beard or the extent of how much a woman covers herself is the most important aspect of being a Muslim. In my humble opinion how we treat our fellow humans is what the true test is. If the motivation behind believing and doing certain things is for selfishness, financial gain, for power or reasons to control-- then to me that negates the truth and honesty of your belief.

I would like to say religious fanaticism and extremism obviously does exist in all religions, but that doesn''t make things any better and is still no excuse to turn a blind eye to some of the wrongs within our community. If we as a Muslims don''t care enough to address these issues, who will?

We need to rid ourselves of the victim mentality that many like to adopt whenever faced with hard questions or problems. The denial about some of the issues mentioned above, like the situation of many of our women and youth, makes us responsible for the continued suffering within.

Who do you intend to bring on board for support?

People who agree that our religion and identity is being perverted by people who have their own agendas to divide and create fear and hate between people while they hide behind the shield of religion. I am doing what I am doing now not because I suddenly had the urge to talk about these issues. I have experienced great difficulty and pain most of my life yet I stayed silent about these problems because I was too scared and was constantly told I needed to shut up or else... I always felt the need to paint the entire Muslim community as perfect because I experienced my fair share of discrimination and racism. I didn''t want to say anything that the far right in Norway or other Western countries could use against Muslims and immigrant communities even though I constantly received more negative, aggressive and violent reactions from my own community rather than from racists or white people. All this simply because of my choice to do music in the western mainstream which was an "unacceptable and dishonorable" profession for the daughter of a Muslim to choose.

So am I looking for support? I don''t expect it anymore like I used to when I was a child because I know better now and have learned that the reality is quite different than we like to talk about. If people agree and can relate then that is nice to hear. It is not why I am doing this. I am doing it because we all have a responsibility to be honest in our life, our faith and in our work. I am doing this because I feel it is the right thing to do. I am by no means blind to the problems we face of discrimination from the western countries we live in and these are also problems I feel very strongly about and something I will be addressing on the new recordings and my future work. I just believe that before pointing fingers outwards we need to look inwards and deal with our own problems with honesty first.

Advise on what you''ve learned from life?

That life is valuable and a gift that we need to enjoy and experience to the fullest. That we all carry misconceptions about others on some level, but we need to realize that compassion and respect is far greater abilities to have than intolerance and prejudice. Passing judgement on others is not our duty as human beings and as Muslims it is in fact to be good to others and to love and respect. Only Allah can judge and truly know what is in a person''s heart. Life is very short and filled with so many hardships and struggles, which is exactly why we need to make our time here as positive as we can by being as caring, compassionate and understanding as we can towards others regardless of racial, religious or cultural differences.

I don''t judge anyone and if I don''t agree with someone''s views, choices or lifestyles I try my best always to respect the individuals right of choice and expression. I don''t have to agree with you but I still respect your perspectives. I do not impose my views on others and I would appreciate the same respect in return.

To me unity is more valuable than division and what makes us similar rather than different is more important to me. In my opinion it is essential to embrace and celebrate diversity. Humility and loyalty are probably among the most important personal qualities in my eyes and lastly being nice isn''t such a bad thing people should try it more often.

What is it that you''d like people to remember you by?

For my music and being someone who tried their best to contribute towards positive change and progress in society and for being a person who stands up for what they believe in.

Ends

Deeyah launches new organization

2006-09-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

The as of yet un-named organization has been created by Deeyah and her friends to provide progressive and like minded people with a platform to communicate with each other in a positive, understanding and supportive environment. A place completely free from judgment allowing people to speak openly about issues we are all affected by on different levels. However, any sexist, racist and homophobic attitudes expressed will not be tolerated at all.

You can now join the official online forum for this new organization.
http://www.discussion-board.net/

In Deeyah's own words: http://www.freemuse.org/sw14311.asp

"I initially intended it to be for young Muslims and young people of immigrant background living in Europe and the US. However I have decided to try and create a platform where like minded people can come together to air their concerns and issues regardless of race or religious background. The purpose of this organisation will be to provide support for open-minded progressive people and give them a place to come together. A place where they will know that theyre not alone and that there are in fact other people out there who experience feelings of fear, feel disenfranchised, and who are being misrepresented and judged (from without AND within their own communities). No prejudice, intolerance or homophobia will be accepted in this group . The point of this is for like-minded people to provide each other with support and to share our thoughts and experiences in an environment free from judgment."
Deeyah Interviewed by Freemuse.

The official online forum for this new organization is NOW OPEN.
To join Visit:
http://www.discussion-board.net/

Salman Rushdie meets Deeyah

2006-06-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Two amazing, revolutionary souls meet one another The Muslim Madonna, Deeyah has recently been spending time with a true voice and icon of artistic freedom, Salman Rushdie.

Recent Deeyah Interview

2006-06-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

A recent Deeyah interview reveals Deeyah's determination and passion as a supporter of women's rights. The following are extracts taken from the interview:

Q. You've stated that some people have called you a Hindu. In your opinion, why is it important for these critics to label you as other than your ethnic and religious identity?
It is a simple tactic of distraction. They think by using a smokescreen of deception they don’t have to deal the real issues at hand. I think it’s much easier to attempt insult or launch accusations rather than addressing what I’m saying. It’s a difficult thing for anyone to examine themselves and admit to the negative aspects of their own community. However, for people to pretend like nothing is going on and attempting to discredit anyone that speaks about any of the problems within our community is, in my opinion, only highlighting the fact that they are actually a part of the problem. My birth name is Deepika which is considered a traditional Hindu name. I was given this name as a sign of respect and gratitude to an elder Indian Hindu woman who nursed and took care of my Muslim mother while she was pregnant with me. To suggest that one has to have an Arabic or Persian name in order to qualify as a Muslim is quite ridiculous and ignorant. My mother, father and their ancestors are all Sunni Muslims. It is much easier to dismiss me and what I am saying by stripping me of my heritage in the hopes that either people will not pay any attention to what I’m saying or that I will get scared or disheartened by the treatment of these critics to where I will hopefully shut up. It’s all an attempt to silence and intimidate anyone that says anything they’re not supposed to say. We are all so scared and busy upholding a certain image of the community that we are willing to turn a blind eye to things we know are going on. If we can’t even get to a point where we can admit and acknowledge some of these problems, the process of finding the solutions and creating change will never happen.

Q. Why is it important to you to make it plain to the world that you are speaking as a Muslim woman?
Because it has become so important to some Muslim leaders and extremists to discredit me as a Muslim, I have had to justify my existence as a “Muslim artist”. I have now inadvertently become a sort of spokeswoman for a younger generation western-born Muslim women. I never really set out to do this. My heritage is something I’ve always been proud of but never forced onto people. Despite this I have never really been allowed to just be an artist and to get on with just music. My background has always become an issue (and a negative one at that) within the community. After years of trying to be the obedient and quiet girl that I was told to be if I wanted to earn support from the community, my efforts were always proven to be wrong and of no use. Proven wrong usually by extremes (mostly men) who were afraid of losing their power in a changing community. The fact that I have chosen a profession that is largely considered unacceptable and not respectable for a Muslim woman has always attracted not just insults and condemnation from certain sections of the community, but also intimidation and physical attacks and threats. It is only after more than 10 years of being silent and quietly taking this abuse that I decided to speak out.

Q. How does your being a woman affect your ability to criticize or the perception of your criticism?
I think being a Muslim woman reduces my chances of being heard or being taken seriously. I come from a patriarchal culture where a woman’s voice does not bear the same weight and relevance as that of a man’s. I would probably be taken a lot more seriously if I nodded my head, agreed with everything, and said that unlike most other cultures, Muslims are perfect and are only the victims of unfair treatment by the Western world. Don’t get me wrong --I feel very strongly about prejudice and discrimination on all levels and am very sensitive to the fact that too many of our law abiding, intelligent and educated Muslim men are treated unfairly and discriminated against in the west every single day-- especially since 9/11. On the other hand, our girls are suffering behind closed doors at the hands of their “own”. Neither is right and there is no justification for racism and prejudice, just as there is no justification for sexism and gender apartheid. These are both severe problems that need addressing and a lot of work and healing is needed. But I cannot in good conscience only point the finger outwards without acknowledging the injustices within as well. I believe self-examination is a positive and crucial process if change is truly wanted. Having the right to freely question and independence of opinion and thought should not be punished but encouraged.

Q. Do you feel that you can speak more plainly in some countries than in others?
That is very much the case. Obviously, in countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan or in the Middle East, I doubt we would be extended the right to walk outside unaccompanied by a male watchdog, let alone being allowed to speak out about issues that are uncomfortable for many to admit in a male dominated culture.
In the West, I feel comfortable to air my views and live my life as I choose, although the concern of my and my family’s personal safety is a consideration I always have to take into account.

Q. You've mentioned that your life has been threatened. What positive feedback have you received and from whom have you received it?
I receive countless letters and emails from other Muslims like myself who were born and raised in the west. These are people who are proud of their heritage and parents’ culture but who also value deeply the rights and freedoms we enjoy living in the West. The support I have received is from people who feel disheartened by how we are portrayed in the media, and who are also disgusted by how some of our so called representatives are responsible for breeding hatred rather than true tolerance. People have thanked me for not giving up and for daring to speak about what’s really going on. They have encouraged me to continue doing what I am doing. Many tell me in detail about their own experiences that are similar to my own and so many others. Another re-occurring statement is how they feel proud that someone like me is around as they feel it proves they can also live their dreams despite the hardships and imposed “traditional” roles we may face from our community. The majority of the responses are about hope and how it now seems possible that a positive Muslim person can be given a voice.

Q. How have your efforts been received by women? And do you have a sense that many of your fans are women who are appreciative both of your political stance and your musical abilities?
I would say my fan base is quite diverse-- comprising of young Muslims and Westerners from all walks of life. Having said that I very much get the sense that a lot of my fans feel they are outcasts in some way or another, that they somehow don’t feel like they find acceptance or understanding in their environment. I think women do tend to relate a bit more to what I am about, but the support I have had from my fans, whether they be Muslim, European, American, young, old, male or female has been quite amazing and humbling. I am privileged and extremely grateful for the support and encouragement of my fans it is one of the most important forces that drive me every single day.

Q. Your music and the visual representations you have chosen are controversial and effective. Is your work a reaction to the stringent requirements and sometimes brutal realities that women must face in your culture, or do you see your efforts as more of a pro-active challenge to women to assert their freedom?
I would say it’s both. In my mind women will be the true foundation of change. We tend to forget the affect we can have in our societies in contributing towards positive change. My work is very much a reaction and direct result of my experiences and the frustration of feeling helpless and silent for so long. It’s been a liberating experience for me to finally breathe and start speaking about the things that have been weighing on my mind and heart for many years. We have to be pro-active if we desire change in our reality, however this has to be an individual choice that we as women have to make. Change can be nurtured and encouraged but not imposed, not by me or a man. This is why I never presume to speak for all Muslim women because I don’t. I can only speak for myself and from my own perspective. If someone can relate to what I am about, then that’s great but I am not arrogant enough to tell people how they should or should not live their lives. I am not here to pass judgment on what other women choose to do. What matters to me is that a woman is truly free and independent and has a choice.

Q. You have shown graphic images of violence toward women in your artwork and performances. You've expressed surprise that the media has largely ignored these images and concentrated on the movement from burka to swimsuit. What do you wish to convey with the graphic images and how can someone access more information on violence against women--such as the violence in the images that you've presented?
I am surprised at the great deal of offense taken by the burka swimsuit scene rather than people taking offence to the maiming and killing performed in the name of religion and culture. The strong reactions I’ve received for this scene confirms the hypocrisy I wanted to highlight. Apparently skin is a bigger sin than murder in too many people’s eyes. Another message from my critics is very clear: that violence is OK but the actual criticizing of the violence is not OK. I find that very offensive. (However, I do not plan on sending people that disagree with me death threats. )

I would like to give you a tiny bit of background on some of the stories behind a few of the images used in this video.

- Shaima Rezayee (Afghanistan):
A female TV presenter on the Afghani music television channel Tolo TV (similar channel to MTV).
After fierce criticism by Muslim clerics and numerous threats in May 2005, Rezayee was shot dead at her home in Kabul. It was believed by the religious
authorities that Shaima could have a 'corrupting' influence on the youth of Afghanistan because of her western influenced persona and dress.

- Theo van Gogh (Netherlands):
In 2004, Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered in Amsterdam in reaction to his film, 'Submission' which criticized the treatment of women under Islam. He was shot with eight bullets, his throat was slit and he was then stabbed in the chest. Two knives were left in his torso, pinning a five-page note to his body - the note threatened Western governments, Jews and his collaborator Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

- Heshu Yones (UK):
Heshu Yones was stabbed 11 times and her throat slit by he father, in the name of "honor". Her “crime” was falling in love with a Lebanese Christian boy.

- Hatin Sürücü (Germany)
In 2005, 23-year-old Hatin Sürücü was gunned down by her three brothers -- who reportedly had long been threatening her — in a so-called "honor killing," given the fact that Hatin's ultra-conservative Turkish-Kurdish family strongly disapproved of her modern and "un-Islamic" life.

- Fadime Sahindal (Sweden)
Fadime Sahindal a young Kurdish-Swedish woman in 2002, was shot dead by her father, for bringing “shame” on the family. Fadime had “shamed” her father and brother by rejecting arranged marriage, and for choosing her own partner. She had also “shamed” the family in 1998 for a highly publicized court case against her father and brother who had threatened to kill her.

- Sonay Mohammad (Denmark):
In 2002, 14 year old Sonay Mohammad was found dead, killed by her own parents, because she had fallen in love with a Danish boy.

- Atefeh Rajabi (Iran)
Atefeh was sentenced to death by an Islamic court. Atefeh only 16 years old was hung from a crane in full public view. She was put to death for committing a so called "moral crime".

In my opinion these people and thousands like them are martyrs of freedom of expression and choice. This is why I wanted to honor and salute these people who tried living their lives on their own terms but were brutally silenced for their individual choices. As you can see from some of these stories we as women are being routinely and systematically punished for our femininity and sexuality, by it being the reason and justification for brutality against us. Somehow by being women who seek sexual, financial and mental independence we are asking for this treatment, being called whores, threatened, intimidated, silenced through fear or in these cases killed. All this under the protection of so called honor, shame and culture.

There are various organizations across Europe who are working hard to highlight the problems of forced marriages, honor killings, sexual abuse and the struggles of our women and youth. Here are only a few:
In France you have: http://www.niputesnisoumises.com/
In Norway: http://www.rights.no/
In the UK http://www.southallblacksisters.org.uk/ and ASHRAM

Q. In your opinion, what is the ideal reaction that someone would have after viewing your video, listening to the lyrics of your songs and reading interviews with you?
This has in no way been an easy choice to make nor has the experience been a pleasant one personally or professionally. In fact, my decision to speak about these issues has had a far more negative effect on my career and life than a positive one. Having said this I do not consider myself a victim I do not accept pity or sympathy. I have chosen to fight and to break the cycle of fear and silence. There is always a price to pay in standing up for your beliefs and integrity. I am painfully aware of this but choose to continue speaking through my music about the issues closest to my heart.

Although music and art can be perceived as provocative, controversial or even offensive to some, it is a peaceful form of expression and protest, which I believe is extremely healthy and important. ‘What Will It Be?’ is simply a protest song. It is something I felt I had to do in order to overcome the ingrained fear that has been instilled in me from an early age of speaking out and questioning certain behaviors and traditions. It is a statement saying enough is enough whereby re-claiming my voice as an individual and taking back the control of who dictates the choices I make in my life. Change is slowly happening and we will no longer be silenced or intimidated by people who promote hate and fear in the name of culture and religion. With this video and song I wanted people to walk away with a better understanding of the pressure put on many people-- in particular women. It is predominantly about the silencing of alternative opinions and the punishment for living life on one’s own terms. I am a firm supporter of women’s rights, of human rights and the right to freedom of expression and choice. This video is my expression of those beliefs.

Q. How can others assist you in your campaign to end violence against women and to promote freedom and equality for women?
By becoming aware of the things that are going on and by not turning a blind eye to it. By not placing judgment on an entire community for the faults and hatred of some because this will not help the healing process and will only strengthen the walls of intolerance. To me, the most important thing is to respect a woman’s choices and decisions irrespective of whether it is pleasing to others or not. What we can not do is believe that violence against women is an exclusively Muslim or third world country problem, it is happening everywhere and should not be tolerated by us or society at large.

By helping to spread the word about the situation of many oppressed women and not forgetting the price some women are paying for even the smallest of personal liberties in some parts of the world--some with their lives.

To rule out violence towards women sign the following petition:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/un48104

Deeyah and Ayaan Hirsi Ali

2006-05-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

Deeyah.com reports that Deeyah has recently spent time with controversial politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and is due to feature in a documentary about this controversial author and film maker.

http://www.petitiononline.com/AyaanHir/

Deeyah Lending support and empowering other Muslim Women:

2006-05-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Irish Television channel RTE showed that:
Deeyah has been working closely with an organization in the UK who specializes in providing support for victims of sexual, domestic and violent abuse (70% of these women are Muslim at this particular organization). Activism against prejudice, discrimination and in particular abuse against women and human rights is a passion that Deeyah devotes herself to. View the video below:

Deeyah a Hindu?

2006-04-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

Allegations are being made that Deeyah is not a Muslim. Here are some facts. Taken from AsianA Magazine interview:

“ I’ve never said a single bad word about the religion or even that I am flying the flag for Muslim women. The crazy thing is I get accused of being a fake Muslim because my real name is Deepika…’

For the record, her mother named her Deepika because the lady who had stood beside her during her pregnancy had suggested that name and, because she passed away before Deeyah was born, her mother decided to honour her wish.”

Deeyah.com, from Deeyah’s official website:

Deeyah is not Hindu. Her name is considered to be a traditional Hindu name. She was named after a family friend as a sign of respect. She was born to Sunni Muslim parents. It is ridiculous to assume that she must have an Arabic name to be considered Muslim (as is the contention of the Muslim Council of Britain who insist that she MUST be Hindu because of her name).

A quote from DesiXpress a British Asian newspaper quotes Deeyah in 2004:

"Being a woman from a Muslim family trying to live my own life making my on choices has been the hardest challenge for me."

After having our friend help us translate various norwegian publications that interviewed and wrote about Deeyah from when she was 14 years old, she is a Muslim.

Deeyah - what will it be - The video

2006-04-03T15:58:00.000-07:00

'What Will It Be?' delivers a strong statement about Deeyah¹s beliefs regarding the rights of women from all faiths and cultures; their right to speak out, the freedom of dress, expression and to lead their lives the way they CHOOSE without the fear of reprisals or judgment. "WHAT WILL IT BE" also features rapper Young MayLay, who is the lead character of Carl "CJ" Johnson in the ever popular game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas".

The video for 'What Will It Be?' is equally as powerful and rebellious as the song lyrics that manages to come together as the perfect protest from the perspective of a young empowered Muslim woman breaking the silence of a lifetime. Watch the banned video below:

Dailymotion blogged video
Deeyah: What will it be?

Deeyah - The real price of fame.

2005-11-02T02:06:00.000-08:00

Deeyah Interview - Price of Fame

The three burly, heavyweight men that flank the soul sensation Deeyah wouldn’t look out of place playing entourage to the likes of Jennifer Lopez or Beyonce. But they’re not there because their star might be subjected to an overeager fan dying for his picture to be taken with her, maybe talk to his friend on the phone, sign an autograph even. They are by her side to save her from people spitting on her, calling her a whore, blinding her with pepper spray, describing in lurid detail exactly how they’re going to cut her up bit by bit and leave her bleeding to death like the dirty, filthy pig they say she is.

If this sounds highly melodramatic or at the very least, a tad paranoid, the fact is this is exactly what’s been happening to Deeyah. Every day. For the past ten years. And it looks like it’s about to get worse…

‘I really thought coming to this country, so famous for its multi-cultural community and liberal, tolerant attitudes, would pave the way for me to start a new life,’ she sighs. ‘I was wrong’.

To get the full picture of Deeyah’s troubled life, we need to go way back in time. If you thought Deeyah was simply this year’s wide-eyed new star with dreams of hitting the big time, a second in her company is all it’ll take to make you realise you’re in the presence of someone who’s been there, done that and done her best to ditch the t-shirt. In her native country of Norway, she’d been a star since the age of 7 - a regular fixture on television performing in countless talent shows - and by the time she reached her peak as a 17-year-old with two critically acclaimed, bestselling albums under her belt, she was receiving more press coverage than any other Norwegian artist, including its biggest export, A-ha.

‘Ask anyone in Norway about Deeyah, and they’ll tell you’ she shrugs, her voice tinged with sadness rather than the pride this sentence should inspire: ‘I was a
superstar’.

She had it all. Fame, fortune, the support of friends and family, and a future secured as the biggest Asian female talent to come out of Europe… ever. But these were exactly the things that led to her downfall. Norway, unsurprisingly enough, isn’t very big on Asians. A small community, of which Deeyah’s grandfather was among the very first settlers from the subcontinent, has been steadily getting bigger. As with every minority group establishing itself in a new land, both natives and migrants have been finding it hard to come to terms with. Not that the child star Deeyah knew any better: ‘I never received any abuse as a kid. I had friends who liked me for who I was; fans that admired me for what I had to offer.’

In fact, Deeyah was perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between old and new. As she puts it: ‘I was the only positive, inoffensive, nice little mascot the liberal-minded could uphold as a symbol of unity.’ Young, beautiful, talented Asian girl wins over
Norwegian hearts and minds. Surely she should have got an award for that?

No. The fascist far right who hated the influx of darkies in their neck of the woods were furious, but they weren’t the ones giving Deeyah hell. It was her own kind that became hell-bent on ruining her.

‘At first it was just mutterings. People would come up to my father and point out that singing and dancing for a living wasn’t the proper thing for an Asian girl to
do, but my father would always tell them the same thing: she’s my daughter, she can do as she likes, I’m proud of her. Piss off and mind your own business.’

It all blew up with the release of her second album when the press interest in her sexy new image meant she was, literally, overexposed.

‘As far as I was concerned, I was dressing like any girl my age. Sure I showed a bit of midriff, but even the most respectable Asian woman reveals her midriff in a sari, doesn’t she? It’s not like I ever had my boobs falling out or anything. I wasn’t out to shock. I wanted to be hip, I wanted to be funky, I was like: I’m 17 now, I’m not letting my mum dress me anymore!’

But it was the video for her second single from the album that had everyone up in arms. An award-winning short film that gathered together outcasts from all sections of the community - fat, ugly, poor, old, black, disabled, racist - and cleverly mutated them into one another to show anyone can change. And there was Deeyah, shot in black and white, floating past them in all her ethereal glory, with a dress that revealed, horror of horrors, a bare back. Those who didn’t make a habit of looking beyond what the naked eye saw, immediately deduced she was in the buff. In front of all these
freaks, laid bare for the whole world to see.

The shame!

The tongue wagging grumbles in the community instantly turned into full-scale cries of revulsion and disgust.

‘My grandfather, a highly respected figure in the community, had people banging on his door with warnings that he should control me; get me to calm down or else.
My mother had to overhear people in the streets talking about what a slut her daughter was, my brother was being attacked, all because I’d brought such great shame upon the community.’

Deeyah didn’t get it. This was a time when Asians were being totally ignored by the mainstream, and what little they got was always negative press: ‘The only stories you’d ever read in the press were negative ones about Pakistani gang rapes and Muslim muggers being on the rise, yet here I was, on the cover of every magazine, the front page of every newspaper, on television every day, doing all I could to show Asians in a positive light.’

Sadly, that’s not how the Asians read it.

There were threats. Her parents had to keep changing phone numbers. Abuse was hurled at her in the streets on a regular basis. Criticisms at every stop she made. But
the enormity of just how revved up some people had become over her escalating popularity only dawned on her during a promotional appearance for a clothing range in
a shopping mall in Oslo. Now that all these people knew where she was, they all lined up to give her a piece of their mind and a spit in her eye. It got really ugly
when a group of Asian men, both young and old, turned up to give her a lecture on how a Muslim girl should carry herself in public. It began: do you realise you are a
prostitute? And ended: when you leave this building we will beat you to within an inch of your life.

‘I’ve never been so terrified in my life,’ she shudders just thinking about it, ‘the mall was empty, the people with me had done a runner, even the security guards walked away. I just sat cowering, thinking: this is it. I’m dead.’

Luckily, some local army lads who were fans of Deeyah saw what was going on and squared up to the
perpetrators, saving her from the hiding of her lifetime: ‘The important thing was these guys who saved me were Muslims – Turkish, Moroccan, Arabic – and that
made me realise there and then that not all Muslims wanted me dead.

‘The most heartening thing that’s ever happened to me was when I got stopped by a woman in a hijab and I braced myself for the usual outpour of venom. Instead she squeezed my hand and said thank you. That I was taking the heat for girls like her by being the first to stick my neck out on the line and that she believed my struggle would help them stand up for themselves in the future. I cried so hard when I heard that. It reminded me that I wasn’t doing anything evil, that I wasn’t a
monster.’

Few people agreed. Groups of angry men would hound her, most notably when they smashed down the doors of her school and dragged her out with threats of avenging her in the name of the Almighty. Again, it was a group of lads who came to her aid – one of the plusses of her raunchy image no doubt – but she was left aghast at the realisation that she was at their mercy and helpless. The teachers walked away from the situation, the record label didn’t want any part of it, the police turned a blind eye – no one, it seemed, wanted to know: ‘As far as they were concerned, this is an Asian problem. We
don’t understand it. It’s obviously a cultural issue that we don’t want to get involved in. You deal with it.It’s probably all talk anyway.’

It wasn’t all talk. A close friend of hers, from a Pakistani background, was a fledgling model when she got a break on a television commercial clad in a bathrobe. One day as she walked home, she felt a tap on her shoulder and a man beat her to a pulp and cut her face, screaming: let me see you model now, you whore.

Tell your bitch friend she’s next…

Deeyah looks crestfallen at the memory: ‘She was a beautiful girl. She cut all her hair off and to this day she stays at home, disfigured and scared to face the world.’

The appalling thing, Deeyah reflects, was that all this played right into the hands of the fascists who wanted rid of the growing immigrant population. ‘Look, they’d say. See how these people treat their own kind? They’re barbarians. It gave Asians, especially Muslims, such a bad name.’

Not that this meant the racists were about to jump in and defend Deeyah. It was around this time, at an anti-violence concert no less, that she had her arm grabbed by a fascist screaming ‘black bitch’, blinding her with pepper gas.

‘I sang the rest of the song unable to open my eyes, tears rolling down my face – some people must have thought I was so overcome by emotion! But when I did look out I saw a huge fight had broken out between racists and fans, with Asians who hated me sticking the boot in and I couldn’t tell anymore if I was crying because of the spray or because of the fact that I was at the centre of all this hatred and violence…’

She could no longer turn a blind eye to the obvious. Staying in Norway was unsafe for her, it was endangering her family and it clearly wasn’t doing the Asians there trying to lead a peaceful life any favours. England, a country where British Asian women pride themselves and are respected for making a stand, seemed the natural choice. She bought a one-way ticket, ready to make a fresh new start.Deeyah’s story should end here. Happily. But there was to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

For a couple of years, she lay low. Hoping the furore over her would die down. Slowly, she began to reshape her career, the opportunity to start anew filling her with a fresh excitement; the best, she was sure, was about to come. And after a few false starts, which saw a multi-million pound contract with Warner Music crumble, her much-loved manager losing the battle with cancer, and her brother falling ill just as she got her get-up-and-go back again, she was finally ready to take on Great Britain. This is where you come in. It was around a year ago that most of us heard of Deeyah, the
26-year-old soul sensation who was about to take us by storm. The media loved her looks and outspoken nature, the radio stations went mad for her sound and the video
channels lapped up her moves. Deeyah was about to land and conquer.

The promotions for her debut single began, the touring started in full force, everyone wanted a piece of the girl the mainstream press had dubbed ‘the Asian Jennifer Lopez’. Unfortunately, the mainstream press had also branded her with the unfortunate moniker ‘the Muslim Madonna’ and the Asian press ran with it.Even without knowing her turbulent past with the upholders of the Muslim way of life, this was the worst thing that could have happened to her just then.

‘The part about Madonna was amazing. To be mentioned in the same breath as her…’ she shakes her head with no small amount of irony, ‘but the whole Muslim thing was just asking for it.’And the hardcore Muslims certainly replied. Her raunchy videos and photo spreads fell under fresh scrutiny and all those dead and buried stories
from Norway slowly but surely began to rear their ugly heads. ‘The first time a group of guys came up to me in Bradford I was flattered that I was finally getting
recognised in Britain. They were pleasant enough… until the lecture started. My heart sank. I’d heard it all before. Here we go again.’

She wasn’t wrong. The subsequent abuse she received everywhere from Birmingham to London left her reeling. Not just because history was repeating itself, but because she wasn’t being spat at and called a whore by bearded men from the first generation – but by young guys, women, even children. What had she done to deserve this? Her lyrics are far from inflammatory, her musical style hardly rebellious and her dress sense no different from any trendy girl you and I know.

‘The thing is I’ve never put myself forward as Muslim. Religion is something I don’t advertise. I’ve never said a single bad word about the religion or even that I am
flying the flag for Muslim women. The crazy thing is I get accused of being a fake Muslim because my real name is Deepika…’

For the record, her mother named her Deepika because the lady who had stood beside her during her pregnancy had suggested that name and, because she passed away before Deeyah was born, her mother decided to honour her wish. But it boggles the mind why anyone who has been so hard done-by at the hands of certain Muslims should want
to pretend to be one if she wasn’t…

Nonetheless, the harsh reality is that just as her career is taking off again, the past has come back to bite her twice as hard. Spitting, being called a whore, threats of rape, torture and murder… here was the exact same pattern that plagued her before.

Under the advice of the police, Deeyah has now gone into hiding. Her releases have been pushed back. The option to relocate to the United States has been suggested more than once. But her spirit still holds.

‘I don’t know what it is about me that makes people take such great pleasure in telling me how they’ll rape me, cut me, kill me. All I’ve ever wanted to do is sing from the heart and hopefully, touch a few hearts. And regardless of everything that’s happened and is happening, I’m still going to do what I do. I’m not
running away anymore.’

Anyone chasing Deeyah, kindly take note. You won’t see her taking her tour to Asian gigs because the police have deemed it too unsafe, but you will hear many songs from her album A Plan of My Own, her labour of love and, no doubt, intense frustration. You’ll see her videos, photos and interviews in both mainstream and Asian publications and hopefully, you’ll take her for who she is. A singer. You’ll either join thousands in hailing her music as the best thing the scene has ever produced or you’ll pass it over. Just try not to see her as the harbinger of evil, hell-bent on bringing forth the corruption and demise of the very soul of our Asian way of life, eh?

‘It makes me sad because after ten years, nothing has changed,’ she sighs, managing a thin smile, ‘because people in our community are still intolerant, unable to
accept a woman speaking her mind, being strong and independent in her own right. And you know what? I don’t think that attitude is going to change in a hurry…’

For all our sakes, let’s hope Deeyah is wrong.