Music Helped Me Reconfigure My Muslim Identity

For immigrants, encouragement to pursue the arts is slim. Here’s why it’s important.

Photo: Prasert Krainukul/EyeEm/Getty Images

When I was younger, I heard that singing was haram, which means “forbidden” in Arabic — and in Islam is the term for sinful behavior. I never really understood this concept, especially since the Quran sounds like a melody when it’s recited. Some…