Jessica Ripper is a white American with blonde hair, blue eyes and a home in Northern California. Yet, to many in Pakistan, she’s an Islamic-gospel musician who plays the tabla.

In the 700-year-old Sufi-singing tradition of Qawwali, she’s a female trailblazer shattering century-old glass ceilings from Sufi shrine to Sufi shrine. And everywhere else, she’s a statistical anomaly, a bizarre outlier.

Did fate direct Ripper to her path as one of the world’s only white female western qawwali players? Or was it chance and opportunity?

You be the judge.

Show Notes:

1. [00:10] “Villager” by Blue Dot Sessions

2. [02:25] “Villa” by Blue Dot Sessions

3. [04:40] “Allah Hu” by the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Party

4. [06:35] Shahzad Bashir

5. [06:40] “Snowmelt” by Blue Dot Sessions

6. [08:35] Fanna-Fi-Allah

   1. Side note: They’re working on a documentary project about qawwali music. See here.

7. [08:40] On Ripper’s conversion to Islam.

8. [09:00] “Allah Hu” by Fanna-Fi-Allah

9. [10:35] “McKrary” by Blue Dot Sessions

10. [11:20] Richard Michos performing with Shabaz

11. [13:00] Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

12. [13:05] “O Re Piya” by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

13. [13:25] More on Dildar Hussain

14. [13:25] “Tanam Farsuda Jan Para” by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Party

15. [13:55] Nusrat’s collaboration with Michael Brook

16. [13:56] “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel

17. [14:20] Nusrat’s obituary in The New York Times

18. [15:10] “Banjo” by Blue Dot Sessions

19. [16:09] Yassir Chadly

20. [18:20] “Grand Caravan” by Blue Dot Sessions

21. [18:20] A neat infographic of what Islam looks like.

22. [18:25] Additional reading on Sufism and the current state of Islam

23. [19:00] Some online dialogue about music in Islam

24. [19:45] Background on 2010 Lahore Bombing

25. [20:50] Tabla played by Jessica Ripper

26. [21:45] The Urs of Baba Farid

27. [21:50] On Baba Farid

28. [27:15] “3rd Chair” by Blue Dot Sessions

29. [28:03] “Ya Mustafa” by Fanna-Fi-Allah performed at the Urs of Baba Farid

30. [30:05] Riffat Sultana

    1. Recommended listening

31. [30:10] Ustad Salamat Ali Khan

32. [31:50] “Bliste” by Blue Dot Sessions

33. [36:00] Abidah Parveen with members of Fanna-Fi-Allah

34. [39:05] “Illway” by Blue Dot Sessions

35. [41:40] “Xandre” by Blue Dot Sessions

36. [43:55] “Holo” by Blue Dot Sessions

37. The project that started this story:

    1. Written

    2. Video

    3. Download Flipboard on your phone, connect to strong WiFi and open flip.it/tabla in the mobile app for a unique story experience.