Salma Vives, Omar Benlamlih, Yusuf Mezghildi and Ali Keeler are from Granada, Spain, and the quartet have been performing to packed concert halls in cities across the United States. Ironically, Donald Trump, who is pitching to run for the President of United States in the upcoming elections, recently called for a ban on entry of Muslims into the US. Keeler said in an interview to Capital Public Radio, “I was worried because of the kind of fear mongering that we would have difficulties coming into the U.S. because we do Islamic music. So yeah, I was worried but pleasantly surprised. We’ve been welcomed everywhere.”
The group, which is named after the most elevated place in Islam’s concept of paradise, recently performed at a Turkish mosque outside the Capital Beltway in Washington DC, and had earlier performed to a warm reception in Chicago. They are headed to San Francisco next.
Keeler is a violinist, and the group draws its inspiration from a long history of music and poetry that is an integral part of Islam, though few seem to realize that. The Sufi strain of Islam is a rich source of poetry and verse, and has been around for over a thousand years. It has produced such luminaries as Jalaluddin Rumi and Amir Khusrao, and has influenced many, from Gandhi to Madonna
The ensemble’s popularity has grown almost entirely by word of mouth, as young Muslims across the country spread the word on social media. For many, listening to the group’s music is about more than just music. For example, Ali Elashram, a 25-year-old information technology professional who helped arrange two concerts for teh group in the DC area said, “There’s been an assault on what Islam is and was,” Elashram said. “This is a way to reconnect to that heritage. . . . Islam is a way of life.”
