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On Sound, Survival, and Becoming in Muslim Toronto

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On Sound, Survival, and Becoming in Muslim Toronto Faithful Listening: On Sound, Survival, and Becoming in Muslim Toronto by Alia Hamdon O’Brien A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Music University of Toronto © Copyright by Alia O’Brien 2020 Faithful Listening: On Sound, Survival, and Becoming in Muslim Toronto Alia Hamdon O’Brien Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Music University of Toronto 2020 Abstract In this dissertation, I follow the trajectories of several contiguous, heterodox Muslim groups in the city of Toronto, and unravel the ways in which they use sound and listening to at once cultivate personal, inward-looking spiritual practices, and a more outward-feeling sense of belonging to a variegated local network of Muslim spaces and institutions, and to the city-at- large in which they reside. In the vast majority of these spaces, conversations about faith, service, justice, advocacy, local politics, global current events, and everyday life are woven into the discursive and affective fabric at hand. Across this faith-based network, fricative, disjunctive encounters are common, but do not rule out the possibility of profound moments of camaraderie and understanding across difference; such is the nature of the ummah—that is, a theoretical or imagined global community that encompasses all Muslims. I listened alongside a handful of groups affiliated with a Sufi halqa (prayer circle) located in the former municipality Scarborough (now a part of the Greater Toronto Area), including a meshk (hymn rehearsal) group and a prayer group called Masjid al-Wali that ii operates as a place of worship for LGBT2SIQ+ Muslims. These groups’ spiritual journeys were often, but not always, concerned with the internal and inward. Or, in terms derived from the Qur’an and Sunnah, which my interlocutors often use as guidebooks of sorts, the individuals that I encountered during fieldwork were attuned to al-batin (the inner or hidden dimension of reality). Thus, I put forward a batini ethnography—an ethnography of (shared) inner experiences. Importantly, this dissertation homes in on the roles that sounding and listening play in this realm of interiority. I discuss the ways in which the careful cultivation of modes of “faithful listening” is made possible through the development of safe-feeling spaces. In such domains of refuge, my interlocutors are able to move more freely along the maqamat (stations or stages) of being a student of Sufism, passing through difficult times—both personal and political—with hope (raja’), expansiveness (bast), contentment (qana’a), and even humour, but also, at times, with sadness (huzn), and contraction (qabd). iii Acknowledgments Each word in this dissertation is but a trace; an imprint left by my fingers moving across the keyboard, a remnant of my relationships and interactions with others, a mark left by intersections of bodies and places and ephemera. At times, I feel as though it is barely mine. Firstly, it belongs to my interlocutors; although their stories are muddied and fictionalized, they are, all the same, the heart of this work. I wish to express my gratitude to the members of the halqa and its network of prayer groups for inviting me in, for being willing to share of themselves, and for teaching me so much. I am honoured to have been their guest. I would not have been able to even begin the process of bringing this work into the world had it not been for the support, patience, and wisdom that my teachers and colleagues have offered over the last seven years. I extend thanks to my advisors, Josh Pilzer and Farzaneh Hemmasi, for their compassionate guidance, for many an exhilarating discussion, and for, time and time again, pushing me to the thresholds of my own understanding. Thank you to my committee members; to Jeff Packman for always asking the important questions, questions which fundamentally shaped the architecture of my methodology, and to Amira Mittermaier, for supporting my project, and for urging me to embrace an “ethnography of the interior.” Thank you to Jim Kippen, who first introduced me to the world of ethnomusicology, and whose rigorous feedback has helped, and continues to help, me to hone and clarify my thinking. I would also like to extend thanks to my external examiner, Jonathan Shannon, for offering a deep and thoughtful engagement with my research. Additionally, I am appreciative of the various funding agencies that supported my research during my time at the University of Toronto, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS) Program. iv I am indebted to my fellow graduate students; it is easier to undertake a journey when one is in good company. Thank you to the members of my ethnomusicology cohort and comprehensive exam study group, Nate Renner and Sepideh Raissadat, and to Yun Emily Wang, Patrick Nickleson, and Vanessa Thacker, who walked this path before me, for their advice, encouragement, and willingness to lend an ear, or an editorial eye. Thank you, also, to the members of the ethno/musicology writing group, who helped me to push through the final stages of writing—Hadi Milanloo, Nil Basdurak, Allison Sokil, Sangah Lee, Nadia Younan, Hamidreza Salehyar, Jack Harrison, and Amanda Hsieh—, and to Jillian Fulton, my partner in end-stage dissertation writing. I would not have made it through this process without the support of my friends and family. I am thankful for my mom, Evelyn Hamdon, who has always offered a shoulder to lean on, inspiring conversations, and an extra set of eyes for my writing, and to sitty, Faye Hamdon, who radiates an aura of warmth and care. Thanks, also, to my dad, Kevin O’Brien, for his endless generosity, and willingness to offer both sage and practical advice during trying times, and to my brother, Geoffrey Hamdon-O’Brien, for helping me to always keeping things in perspective, and for sending me all the good memes. Thanks to my dear friend Heather McTavish, a master of reassuring pep talks, and to my collaborators in Blood Ceremony, Badge Époque, Octavio is Dead!, Children’s Story, and beyond, who helped me to sustain my musical practice over the years, even when it felt overwhelming. I am grateful for my inspiring partner, Mark Cira, for simply being there and loving me, and to his beautiful, welcoming family. And to Maria, my feline companion, who always brings me back to the here-and-now. Finally, thank you to my beloved neighbourhood of Kensington Market, a haven for walker-thinkers; many an idea in the pages that follow was sparked with its sidewalks underfoot, coffee in hand. v I would like to dedicate this dissertation to those who left this realm over the course of my studies: my friend, musical collaborator, and source of endless light, Adam Litovitz. My ceaselessly optimistic grandfather, Jack O’Brien. My radiant Uncle Awni, whose laugh is unforgettable. And loving, kind juddy, Sid Hamdon, who, just days before his passing, sitting in his living room, gave his grandchildren, all huddled around him, a lesson on spinning a tale. “It doesn’t matter what the details are,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s factual. It’s about getting the feeling right. Here’s an example—a joke! So I ask: ‘How do you teach a Muslim to drink?’” He paused and smiled. “‘Get thirteen Muslims in a room and start drinking!’” We all burst into laughter; the delivery of the punchline was flawless. “You see—the number, I just chose it. It couldn’t be two, or three. It had to be more. It’s about the feel of it.” Thank you, juddy, for teaching me about what batini storytelling can do. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. x Mudkhal/Entry ................................................................................................................................. 1 1 Listening, Affect, Practice: Theoretical Inspirations .................................................................. 7 2 Muslim Canada, Muslim Toronto: On Complex Diasporas and Layered Geographies ........... 14 3 Sufi and “Heterodox” Muslims in Toronto: A Shajarah .......................................................... 20 4 Islam, Sufism, Sound, Flesh: An Overview and Some Definitions .......................................... 24 5 Fire and Clay: Hearing Beings Present ..................................................................................... 32 6 On Heterodoxy and “The Margins” .......................................................................................... 34 7 Post(-)secularism? ..................................................................................................................... 36 8 Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 38 8.1 Writing the Unknown and the Interior .............................................................................. 40 8.2 Religious Experience ......................................................................................................... 43 8.3 Faithful Listening as Methodology ..................................................................................
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