Mohamed Mounir
Mohamed Mounir (
Arabic:
محمد منير)was born in
Aswan,
Egypt. His pop-oriented music unmistakably has its roots in the various genres of Arabic and
African music. And his lyrics are without exception social and political, with which Mounir sees himself as a mouthpiece for the cultural and religious togetherness of the
Orient and
Occident. His music is also great to dance to: his songs are played with pleasure at weddings or other celebrations, and so Mounir is the darling of the
Egyptian, secular-oriented youth.
Mounir, has also gathered experiences in film: the film Destiny from
Youssef Chahine, a prominent outsider in Egyptian cinema and at the same time its most internationally renowned representative, is a reckoning with the growing fundamentalism of his country. Mounir plays the singer Marwan from the
12th century, who escapes an attempted assassination by stirred up fanatics the first time, but succumbs the second time - a reference the Algerian Rai singer, but also Egyptian literary figures like
Naguib Mahfouz or
Farag Foda.
After the
Sept 11 attacks, the singer was driven to learn more about
Islam, which he feared was being seen in the West as the faith of terrorism and intolerance. So Mounir performed the
hajj, the
pilgrimage at the heart of
Islam, for the first time last winter. He returned critical of both fellow
Muslims, who he says don't bother to seek a true understanding of their faith, and of a West that he says misunderstands it.
Mounir released the album
Earth . . . Peace, containing the song Give Me Strength, O Messenger of God, which he co-wrote with
Kawthar Mustafa. In it, he sings, "The spilling of any blood is deemed sinful by God."
The album struck some as surprisingly religious for an artist seen as a champion of
secularism. For others, it was not religious enough; the video for the song was banned by most
Arab satellite channels.
"My role, and the role of any
Arab who cherishes his nation,
dignity and
honour is to reconstruct ourselves and ideas. We should fight backward
fundamentalist thought because
Islam is not just a message from a
prophet, but rather a full-fledged civilization of beautiful values," said Mounir.
"I saw that after the attacks, the
Arab world has become more scared and lost confidence in itself." Westerners, meanwhile, "don't differentiate between a human
Muslim and a
terrorist, between an
extremist and an
artist, and between a moderate citizen and a reactionary."
The video ban reportedly was because Mounir sang "maddad", a vernacular term that roughly means "give me strength" but that can also be translated as a call on
Islam's
prophet to intercede with God on man's behalf. Strict
Muslims say no one can intercede between God and believers.
The 48-year-old artist took the controversy in his stride.
"It is this fight against rigid thought that makes something out of you," he says.
That
philosophy sums up one of his best-known characters. In Destiny, a 1997 film by
Youssef Chahine, a leading
Egyptian director, Mounir played Marwan, a singer in the 12th century Islamic state built by
Arab and
Berber dynasties in
Spain."Marwan and I are one and the same," Mounir says, describing the character as an "ambitious artist who does not believe that anything should be deemed sinful in art."
"Sing loudly, nothing should stop your singing," Mounir sang as Marwan in another
Kawthar Mustafa hit.
Mounir, who sang on the soundtracks for nine
Chahineproductions and acted in some, says he is proud to be
Chahine's "voice in
cinematography." Their collaboration in the movie An
Egyptian Tale resulted in a popular song of the same title that ordinary Egyptians embraced as an
anthem. The music was written by the late
Ahmed Mounib, a
Nubian folk musician who was Mounir's mentor. The lyrics, by
Abdel Reheim Mansour, include:
Who is bowed down for the sake of your prosperity?Your poor peasants.Who is bowed down for the sake of your affluence?Your kind workers.Who is the one who sells conscience and buys instead destruction?Who is the one with the cause, the problem, the tale and the pen?
Mounir has also has appeared in seven films for other directors - almost all with patriotic themes - and has also appeared in TV series and plays. He began his career as a performer in the 1970s after arriving from the southern city of
Aswan to study art at
Cairo University.
From the beginning, he was something different. His music drew rhythms and
folk melodies from the culture of
Nubia, the region where
Arab and African
Egypt meet, in contrast to much Egyptian
pop music, which was dominated by
Arabic sounds.
At first, Mounir's casual outfits and performance style drew scorn at a time when singers often wore suits and appeared with
orchestras. He would sway, jump and dance in a way unfamiliar to Egyptian audiences. But they saw him as
genuine, and he soon became a respected star, paving the way for other
Nubian musicians.
Over the years, he became known for finding lyrics that reflected his
politics and
philosophy; his music has become synonymous for many Egyptians with
liberal thought, hope and a desire for reform.
He sometimes works closely with lyricists and co-writes songs.
A pot of traditional
Nubian incense burned during a recent interview in his
Cairo apartment. The singer appeared relaxed in casual clothes - a creme baggy shirt, linen trousers and trademark bead necklace - but also displayed the reserve he is known for.
Mounir, who rarely gives interviews, would not discuss the fate of his home region, a sensitive issue in
Egypt.
Nubians were forced to leave the area when Egypt built the
Aswan High Dam in 1971.
He would, however, speak on other issues.
A recent pro-
Palestine wave saw almost every other Egyptian singer recording songs supporting the
Palestinians; Mounir had been singing about them for years.
"I have a dream of a better human being, of better living standards," Mounir said, adding, "I hate corruption, I hate fear and I love dreams that are based on logic."
01-
3alemony 3eneeki (Your Eyes Taught Me - 1977)
02-
Bentweled (We're Born - 1978)
03-
Shababeek (Windows - 1981)
04-
Etkalemy (Talk - 1983)
05-
Baree2 (Innocent - 1986)
06-
West El Dayra (In The Middle Of The Circle - 1987)
07-
El Malik Howwa El Malik (The King Is The King - 1988)
08-
Shokolatta (Chocolate - 1989)
09-
Eskendreya (Alexandria - 1990)
10-'Meshwar'' (1991)
11-
El Tool We Lon Wel Horreya (1992)
12-
Efta7 Albak (Open Up Your Heart - 1994)
13-
Momken (Maybe - 1995)
14-
Men Awel Lamsa (From The First Touch - 1996)
15-
El Maseer (Destiny - 1997)
16-
Habeebty (My Love - 1998)
17-
Maadarsh (I Can't - 1998)
18-
El Far7a (Happiness - 1999)
19-
Fi 3esh2 El Banat (On Loving Girls - 2000)
20-
Leila Wahda (One Night - 2000)
21-
Alby Masaken Sha3beya (2001)
22-
Al Ard..Al Salam [Earth..Peace] (2002)
23-
A7mar Shafayef (Lipstick - 2003)
24-
Embare7 Kan Umri 3eshrin (Yesterday I Was 20 - 2005)
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6arab*
Mounir's life*
Interviews with Mounir*
Mohamed Mounir Bio, Pictures and Wallpapers
