Mnet, the South Korean music television channel that hosts the competition show Street Woman Fighter, is being urged by viewers to apologize for their alleged use of an Islamic practice in the show’s soundtrack.
Muslim viewers noticed that in an introduction sequence on the show, a remixed version of an adhan (also written as azan and adzan) was used. An adhan is an Islamic call to prayer recited at prescribed times of day
Numerous Muslim netizens expressed their frustration at their religious practice being used for “aesthetic purposes” and are calling for Mnet to change the soundtrack and apologize for their actions.
I need yall on raising awareness on a very controversial topic about mnet's editing.
In Street Woman fighter Mnet decided to use Adhan as an intro [from 00:57 – 1:40]— 717 (@luotianguo)
Many are upset at Mnet for cultural appropriation: the act of taking from another culture with little to no regard for cultural context. Fans expressed disapproval towards the editors for “remixing” and “glitching” adhan.
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Netizens quickly found that the song used in the introduction sequence was not originally created by Mnet; it is a song titled “Azan” by the English band LOSERS.
“Azan” was released in 2010 in their album Beautiful Losers. New comments have been left underneath videos of the song on YouTube with people expressing their frustration towards the band.
Regardless of the song’s origin, Muslim audiences are demanding Mnet make a statement on their actions. This is not the first time Mnet or other K-Pop companies have been called out for their appropriation. And though celebrities have personally apologized for their disrespectful behavior in the past, the fact that it continues to happen further leads to public frustration.
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