Islamic State has a de facto national anthem — and it's actually quite pleasant
ISIS has a whole branch dedicated to creating propaganda music, "almost like a Motown hit factory," British journalist Alex Marshall told Piya Chattopadhyay on Canadian public radio show Q. One song in particular, "My Ummah, Dawn Has Appeared," has "become de facto the sort of national anthem" of Islamic State, a "massive tool of nation-building," Marshall said, though like the Taliban, "the whole concept of an anthem to them would be sort of anathema."
Nobody knows who works at the ISIS hit factory, Ajnad Media Foundation, which cranks out propagandistic "nasheeds," or a co-opted style of traditional Islamic vocal music. The lyrics are pretty terrible, in a jihadist sense, but "My Ummah, Dawn Has Appeared" isn't really a recruitment tool, Marshall says, since most people in the West don't speak Arabic and "the fact it sounds like sort of a yoga meditation tape isn't really going to appeal to foreign fighters."
But it is a slick, well-produced song. And it's actually quite pretty. The beginning of the song is "undeniably beautiful," Marshall writes in The Guardian. "Musically, it's better than just about any other religious song you could name." That's probably an overstatement — I'd take Schubert's "Ave Maria" any day, for example — but you can judge for yourself below or in the audio clip at Q. --Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published