Mark LeVine

Offers a surprising look at the growing influence of rock, hip-hop, and heavy metal music in various areas of the Middle East, examining the influence of Western music and furnishing profiles of key musicians who have created their own distinctive musical careers in such nations as Morocco, Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and Pakistan. Original. 30,000 first printing.

Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam

Heavy Metal Islam

Steven Ovadia

Incredible book! Levine is incredibly knowledgeable about history, language, music, religion and sociology and he uses it all to create an exciting, deep, and readable overview of the current politics of the Middle East and North Africa. He juxtaposes music (not just metal but rap and traditional music) against religion, and draws parallels between the current MENA political movements and the revolutions of the Eastern bloc.
Explicitly (I suspect) left unsaid are the parallels between the current MENA and the US, where, in both places, increasing government-sanctioned centralization of wealth has created social and political schisms. 
Ultimately, I'm not sure if I agree with Levine's theory that musicians (both secular and religious) and open-minded religious leaders working together can bring about democracy, but it's a fascinating theory to explore.

Dani

Un excelente viaje por la actualidad (as of 2008) de la música 'moderna' en medio oriente.

Heavy Metal Islam Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam

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