Indie rocker explains Islam
NEW YORK — Distraught by the treatment of Muslims in Donald Trump’s America, indie rocker Ben Lee felt he could seize on his own skills to encourage understanding.
The former frontman of the group Noise Addict has recorded an album of songs about Islam and, hoping for the greatest impact, geared them toward children.
With chipper arrangements that would be at home in kindergarten classrooms, “Ben Lee Sings Songs About Islam for the Whole Family” explains the religion’s core beliefs with references to the Holy Quran.
Lee, an Australian who lives in Los Angeles, said he knew the power of songs through his career and also by observing his sevenyear-old daughter.
“That’s the beauty of the pop song — you can say anything, and if you say it in two and a half minutes with a catchy chorus, it becomes digestible,” said the affable 38-year-old.
“I think I’m at the point in my life where you start realising that any lasting effect that you’re going to have on the human race is going to be through the influence you can make on the next generation,” he said with a chuckle.
Lee will donate all proceeds from the album to the American Civil Liberties Union which has aggressively challenged Trump on rights issues including his sweeping ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority nations.
But Lee does not see his album as political. Instead, he is hoping to bring a nuanced understanding of religion.
Lee, who grew up Jewish, said he had reached a spiritual “fork in the road” where he could no longer take religions literally but wanted to appreciate them.
The album’s goal “is to focus on the commonalities and on beginning to think mythologically about these cultural narratives — and introducing children to thinking in that way as opposed to thinking literally,” Lee said.
“All of these religions are like Greek myths or Shakespeare. They provide great insights into humanity.” The music on “Ben Lee Sings Songs About Islam for the Whole Family” is upbeat and direct.