Major

Business Administration (General)

Advisor

Rachel Walshe

Advisor Department

Theatre

Date

5-2017

Keywords

Women, Islam, Dance, Religion, Lyrical,

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Abstract

Islam has guidelines and rules that its followers must abide by in order to fulfill the tenets of the religion. Lawful acts are labeled “al-halal” and the unlawful and prohibited are “al-haram.” Many al-haram activities affect Muslim women specifically – particularly some leisure activities, such as listening to music and dancing. For example, Islam does not permit activities that can be perceived as “erotic” or “arousing male passions.” Elder Muslim women guide and supervise younger women in order to pass along religious morals and values from generation to generation. I am the product of this tradition and my research is an inquiry into this cultural convention. Given the strict rules regulating many leisure activities, I sought to answer the following: Is dancing, specifically by women in Islam, an activity that is “al-halal” or “al-haram”? The purpose of this project is to research the Qur’an (Islam’s sacred book), interpretations by Imams (Muslim scholars), and other religions in order to clarify whether or not dancing is subjected as “al-halal” or “al-haram.” Though, I am a woman of faith whose passion for dance is a critical aspect of my identity, it’s imperative that I discover whether or not my religion and my passion for dance are compatible. The results of this research will dictate the direction the remainder my life takes.

Media Format

flash

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