Diaspora Muslim, Music and Islamic Expression in Public Sphace: Sufi Music in Indonesia and United Kingdom

The phenomenon of the Muslim diaspora, whether in the West or in other regions with Muslim minorities, can give rise to diverse forms of Islamic expression. Music serves as a crucial arena where Islamic identity is negotiated: between normativity and creativity, between tradition and modernity, and between private and public spheres. Through music, Muslim diaspora communities present Islam as a lived religion not merely as a normative doctrine devoid of human meaning, but as a contextual social practice that is constantly evolving.

This book stems from the realization that the modern public sphere is not a neutral space. It is rife with power relations, symbolic regulation, and the politics of representation. It is within such spaces that Muslim musical expression often finds itself in an ambiguous position: accepted as part of cultural diversity, yet simultaneously viewed with suspicion as a “foreign” religious symbol. Therefore, the study of Islamic music and expression in public spaces is crucial for understanding how the Muslim diaspora constructs visibility, resistance, and cultural dialogue.