DJ Khaled (a.k.a. Abu Asahd, a.k.a. Khaled Mohammad Khaled)

Hey guys! I hope everyone is excited for the weekend as I am! I’m going to Boston to hang out with S and his family, and I can’t wait!

In the mean time, I figured I would share a bit of information on one of my favorite R&B / Rap artists this year: DJ Khaled.

More than a few of my friends and family are a bit puzzled by my interest in DJ Khaled, so I want to give you a peek into all the cool things about DJ Khaled that make him a fascinating figure:

1.)  He is Palestinian-American. And his actual name is Khaled Khaled, which means that his first name is Khaled and his last name is also Khaled. Perhaps his parents have a sense of humor, or maybe his grandfather’s name is Khaled (because in Arab culture it’s common for the first-born son to be named after the grandfather).

2.)  His perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is unclear. While DJ Khaled certainly seems sympathetic towards Palestinians in interviews, he is certainly not outspoken about the conflict or any politics in general. This is remarkable, to me at least, because I’ve never met a Palestinian who doesn’t have a very strong opinion on the conflict and is not shy to share it. Earlier this year, he participated in an event with Sabra Hummus (which has ties to funding the Israeli army via the Strauss Group) and got a lot of criticism for it from his pro-Palestinian fans, but I’m not sure if he ever responded to that criticism.

3.)  He named his son Asahd, which means “lion” in Arabic. Anyone who knows DJ Khaled knows that the lion is his spirit animal, so his naming choice clearly shows a connection both to his heritage and his love for lions. In Arab culture, parents are called the father or mother of their first-born son (or daughter, if they have no sons), which means that I bet in some circles he’s now known as Abu Asahd. He is really adorable with his son on Snapchat, by the way.

4.)  He Snapchat-ed the birth of his son. This phenomenon is mind-blowing in itself because it shows how, in this moment in time, social media has given the world a window into strangers’ most intimate moments. I’m amazed that his fiancée didn’t take the phone and beat him over the head with it. Anyway, he did update his Snapchat feed regularly, and I did follow it. And I find that how people react to these important moments of life illuminate their values. For example, watching DJ Khaled’s Snapchat, I learned that he’s Muslim because he paused his music in the middle of the birth when it was time to play the call to prayer. This was cool way to see how versatile DJ Khaled is in navigating between two cultures, by partying to his own music while also taking time to connect to his faith during the birth of his son.

5.)  His new book got to the New York Times’ bestsellerlist. That in itself is amazing, because the book’s description on Amazon is vague at best. But, reading the reviews, it seems like a lot of people and especially young men have found a lot of inspiration from his words. DJ Khaled does exude positive energy, so I’m sure that positivity shines through his book as well. I will definitely read his book whenever I have time (after my program in four years?) but anyone else who reads it, please let me know what you think.

Anyway, it’s about time for me to get back to remote sensing of my lagoons’ surface area. Hope you liked the post! Let me know what you think about DJ Khaled and stay tuned for a new post on my research coming up soon!

Update on 1/30/17: DJ Khaled actually posted a series of Snapchat videos yesterday, which consisted of a montage of protests through space and time, including images of Palestinian protesters and America's Civil Rights Movement. It turns out the montage comes from a music video made for Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." I think this is a political statement, indeed! And its beautiful imagery connect all the human and civil rights, illustrating the importance of showing up and fighting for all rights. To be honest, it's hard for most people these days in the United States to be apolitical if they care, so I'm glad DJ Khaled made a stand. And I wonder if we'll see more artistic political statements from him in the future!

Insha Allah

Hope you all are having a lovely weekend! S is visited me this weekend, and he’s been the best study buddy. Before I head to school, I just wanted to share a song that S played this weekend called Insha Allah by Sting, and I figured that I would give a bit of background on what insha allah means too!

Sting recently released Insh allah as a way to honor Syrian refugees and remember those lost at sea during the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean. There were decidedly mixed reactions to him singing this song at the Bataclan last month, where he reopened the concert hall almost a year after it was one of the targets of the Paris attacks. I personally appreciate his motivation to elicit a more comprehensive sense of morality by discerning between terrorists and refugees. Plus, his performance connected the victims of the Paris attacks to the Syrian victims who also suffered from ISIS’ influence. In a city that’s still undoubtedly traumatized by those attacks, it’s difficult to distinguish between criticism is sympathetic to that trauma and criticism that is islamophobic.

Anyway, thanks to this beautiful song, Sting is raising awareness to the plight of Syrian refugees and keeping people conscious of the regime-sponsored horrors that continue. Feel free to follow my twitter account if you’d also like to stay updated on current events in Syria.

The phrase insha allah is a great one because it is very versatile with several meanings. Insha allah literally means “God’s will,” and is used as a response to a lot of conversation and questions. I’ve heard it used in response to questions like “Will you do this?” or “Will you come to that?” In my experience, when some people use insha allah, it may have a connotation of wanting to do that thing or to go there, but not being 100% committed yet. It could also mean that the person wants to do that thing or go to that place, and very well intends to, but life is never certain so you never know what might or might not happen.

Insha allah could also be used when someone is talking about a future goal or something that they really want. In that case, when someone talks about their hopes, a friend might respond by saying insha allah to mean that hopefully it’s the will of God and that it’s meant to happen.

So what does Sting mean by saying insha allah in his song? I think he means to do several things. He wants to evoke the Syrian people’s amazing resilience by nodding to their ability to have so much faith and hope. He also may want to evoke the first meaning of insha allah I mentioned, which always considers how life can be precarious and fragile.

Listen to the song and see what you think!

FAIRUZ IN THE MORNING; UM KULTHUM AT NIGHT

Is it really almost the middle of July? This is insane! Summer always feels like it’s flying by way too fast. I feel like I’m losing my mind because I planned a dinner date with S at Sofra, an Arabic restaurant in Watertown, that closes early! I can’t believe I didn’t check when they close. Luckily, while I wait for S to join me so we can figure out a new dinner plan, Sofra has some nice outdoor seating, so I’ll just type away at my computer while I enjoy the balmy evening and watch some Pokemon Go players zigzag around the sidewalks. 


  

So, I want to talk about something that is really close to my heart: the great Arabic singing legends that fill my home with finger-snapping classics. Specifically, there are two of them, and I love both of them dearly as if they were my own grandmothers. Fairuz and Um Kulthum. 

 

I’ll give you an idea of how awesome these ladies are. Fairuz has released over 800 songs in her lifetime, while Um Kulthum is known as the “Star of the East” just because she’s that amazing. Families and public places still play both of these ladies’ classic songs even though they’re decades old. Four orders of generations all around the Middle East listen to and love these singers, knowing all the words to dozens upon dozens of their songs. In terms of their popularity, I would argue that there is literally no equivalent in the western world. Comparatively, the Beatles may come close, but it’s not like every family listens to them weekly, if not daily.

In a lot of places around the Middle East, or at least with S’s family, there is a strict standard for listening to these two melodious ladies. Fairuz is played during the morning, and Um Kulthum is only for the night. At first, I found this humorously endearing, and then I quickly fell in line with tradition because, listening to their repertoire, they each fit perfectly within their allotted listening time frame. Fairuz’s jazzy tone, with ethereal references to long-gone love or dreamily poetic metaphors about eyes of snow, fits perfectly into slowly waking up over a cup of Turkish coffee; Um Kulthum’s sultry voice wavers with the passion of love realized, and her classic Arabic orchestra swells with her crescendos to create a sense of drama that a listener can only best appreciate in a moody, late night café with shisha (or hookah) in hand.

When I hear Fairuz, I think of morning sunlight shimmering through the curtains, hours-long brunches in our garden under the olive vine trellis, and family humming those familiar tunes while sipping from steaming cups of mint and ginger green tea. When I hear Um Kulthum, I think of all my favorite cafés in the Middle East, smoke-filled and bustling with laughing friends as they gather around tiny tables and chat late into the night.

For some people, the distinction of when you can listen to either singer is pretty strong. When I went with S to a weekend away with a group of Arab friends, I tried to be the DJ for an evening. Fairuz accidentally came on, and three different people stopped what they were doing to look up and demand a different song! I couldn’t have pressed the “next” button faster!

And I totally agree with it. So if you haven’t heard of these ladies, I highly recommend a listen, but try to listen to Fairuz over breakfast and Um Kulthum after dinner, and then you’ll see what I mean!