UUM ONLINE: Kuala Lumpur -After spending nearly ten years preparing a legacy of scholarly script, Dr Fitri Haris, a national nasyid celebrity, finally launched a book titled 'Popular Music: Making Islamic Popular Music in Malaysia from Traditional Approach to Contemporary Design'.
Dr Fitri Haris, a senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), spent seven years conducting an in-depth study involving more than 45 people active in Malaysia's music industry, and another two years evaluating and editing the book, bringing the total time required to complete the book to nine years.
The scholarly work published by UUM Press is the first comprehensive ethnomusicology book of its kind anywhere in the world, including Malaysia. It offers an in-depth study of the sociological and anthropological impact that Islamic popular music has had on this country.
Dr Fitri was thrilled that the book, which had been in the works for a total of nine years and gone through many stages of development, including both internal and external evaluation, was finally available to the public.
According to him, in order to produce or publish a scholarly work, it is necessary to follow certain policies or guidelines from the very beginning all the way through to the very end.
It is even more exciting when readers consider that his book is the only one in Malaysia and possibly the entire world that talks about Islamic music in such a comprehensive manner based on the opinions of an independent panel of evaluators.
"This fills me with even more zeal and excitement to disseminate this book to a wide audience, not just Muslims but people of all levels, irrespective of their religious background and affiliation.
"In this book, I investigate and explain what nasyid is - Islamic music. In fact, this book is not restricted to Muslims only; rather, it is written for knowledge that is not restricted to anyone," he said, adding that he intends to promote the book in international markets as well.
This book is filled with information about nasyid as well as scholarly articles on music in Islam, and it identifies the role that globalisation played in shaping Islamic popular music.
The launch of the book was officiated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni), Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha Mohamed, at the UUM Kuala Lumpur Campus (UUMKL) yesterday.
Prof. Dr Ahmad Martadha stated in his speech that the ceremony held a great deal of significance for the denizens of UUM because the published book represented a significant contribution to both UUM and the music industry of the country.
"It is a fact that cannot be denied that the writing of academics is the linchpin of excellence in the world of academia.
"This is the first and only scholarly work of its kind, and it can be used as a music module, especially for nasyid," he said.
He went on to say that the collaboration that can be forged between the music industry and the academic field can improve the reliability and sustainability of the music industry, bringing mutual benefits not only to the industry but also to academia.
He also proposed that more authors produce such scholarly works that can help the country achieve excellence.
The book can be purchased for RM50, and those who make their purchases through the UUM Press website are eligible for a discount. If you would like to place an order, please contact Dr Fitri Haris at 011-2668 4664
Translated by Mahaliza Mahadhir (
Pictures by: Shamsaimi Ezil