I've spent most of my adult live studying, performing, enjoying ME dance and music.  Although at first it may seem strange and incomprehensible to the Western ear, it is much more complex and rich that most Western music, especially modern pop music.  It is sad enough that the trend for ME pop music to become more and more Westernized in it's instrumentation and, as a result, losing some of it's complexity... but there is it, global fusion, the good and the bad.

     And then, when I read articles like this--

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/middleeast/01oud.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=Iraq%20music&st=nyt&scp=1

--I feel like someone's just ripped my heart out.

     I can understand why some religions might frown upon the use of music to incite lascivious emotions and behaviour, but to ban an entire body of music, and entire musical tradition, to destroy instruments, to arrest or torture musicians is simply incomprehensible to me.  Such an attitude completely overlooks the amazing spiritual and healing qualities of music--and yes, especially in Arabic Music (also brought to even higher form in it's cousins, Turkish and Persian musical traditions). 

     The first time I held an oud and strummed it's strings, my heart soared.  Of all the ME musical instruments, this is the one that most speaks to me on all levels.  It is perhaps the most perfect of voices.  That anyone could crush such a voice is just... it leaves me speechless.

   Such censorship also seems to me to completely deny that individuals have any personal responsibility for their behaviour.  And says to me that their spiritual message is perhaps not deserving of the respect I normally give to differing viewpoints and beliefs. 

On some levels I can understand how things develop to this point, and on others, I simply do not understand how things can come to this.