Source: The National
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100506/FOREIGN/705059948/1135
Singing country music songs from beneath the brim of a cowboy hat with a full-bore Southern drawl, the up-and-coming performer Kareem Salama breaks the expectations audiences may have of an Egyptian-American Muslim.
At least that is the message the US state department hopes to make by sending “America’s first Muslim country singer” on a month-long tour from Morocco to Bahrain, designed to improve Washington’s dented reputation across the Middle East.
“I want to learn from the people we meet, share my music, share my personal experiences and break some stereotypes and preconceived ideas about being an American Muslim,” Salama said.
“And if I can introduce country music – that’s cool, too.”