Singing with Umm Kulthum, from California to Syria: Tormented Love, Spiritual Struggle, and Political Theology

This paper takes up the decolonial and spiritual potential in the music of the iconic Umm Kulthum (d. 1975), the most popular Arab singer of the 20th century. I consider how a reorientation toward Umm Kalthum’s music, when put in creative dialogue with Sufi discourses on the torment of love, can offer fresh horizons of understanding regarding the painful struggles of faith and seeking God. The first half of the paper begins by framing the relevance of Umm Kalthum to Islamic political theology and spirituality, particularly in a context of diasporic exile in the 21st century. To illustrate this potential, the remainder of the paper draws out the connections between Umm Kalthum’s love songs and the tradition of Sufi love poetry, with their extensive focus on the torment and perplexity of the lover. I consider the relevance of this to the modern experience of religious doubt and disillusionment.