It’s the Gen-X Islamic singers living outside Asia who have takenreligious Islamic music and songwriting to the young generation of the community. Leading the pack are Zain Bhikha from South Africa and Abdullah Rolle from Britain who are in the city to perform at the ongoing International Islamic Peace Conference and Exhibition.
Bhikha is Indian by origin though he is born and brought up in Prethora. He sings Nasheeds in English. “This event is a great opportunity for me to come back to the country of my roots. My great grandparents lived in this country,” he says, adding, “majority of the Islamic songs are in Urdu and Arabic. I realised English is the universal language today and singing in English has helped me reach people in the West.”
Bikha mainly sings spiritual and social issue-themed songs. In times of terrorism and the negative image of Muslims in the world, Bikha admits that music can promote peace.
“Islam has many challenges today and singing Nasheed helps me convey the real meaning and message of Islam. It’s a great opportunity for scholars to portray the correct message of Islam,” he says.
Bikha, in fact, went to the Parliament of World Religions in Australia where people from different faiths performed. “It’s about clearing misconceptions and building bridges,” he says. And though Bikha loves different genres of music, he wants to continue singing only Nasheed. “English is a widely spoken language among makers of popular culture. And it’s amazing that I can sing spiritual songs through modern music.”
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