Egypt's female performance groups on the rise
All female dance groups in Egypt are becoming more popular at weddings and other cultural gatherings, but still must conform with society's conservative beliefs on music.
Female Islamic bands are emerging as a new fixture at women's celebrations around Egypt. Fully or partially veiled, and wearing sparkling but unrevealing clothes, they perform at weddings, where men and women are segregated, and at henna parties, where women come together before a wedding or to celebrate a birth.
The bands purposely do not violate Sharia in their performances. The douf (tambour) is often the only musical instrument they use, although there are exceptions, and the groups only appear at women-only events. Their repertoire tends to consist of Egyptian rustic wedding songs.
Music is a controversial issue in Islam. While certain branches such as Sufism consider music central to their religious rituals, some conservatives consider it to be a tool of intoxication, especially songs with non-religious themes and those sung by women. The Quran, however, does not forbid music, nor does any Islamic country forbid all music.
The El-Hanaa Band for Islamic Weddings is a recently established troupe, launched by six fully veiled sisters who have a passion for singing. "We started as six sisters, but now we have around 25 young women who work with us," Somaya Akl, the troupe's founder, told Al-Monitor.
