Kareem Salama: Country Singer and Graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law
by Heather Jung
Born and raised in a small city in Oklahoma, Salama said that country music is a big part of the state's culture.
"Country music is like crickets chirping in the background in Oklahoma," Salama said.
Salama said that he began composing songs at 11 or 12 years old and became serious about it during his high school and early college years.
"In high school, I fell in love with the poem 'A Valediction Forbidding Mourning' by John Donne," Salama said. "I wrote an original melody to the words of the poem to help myself memorize it. I continued doing that for other classical poems. In fact, I wrote a melody for 'The New Colossus,' which is, of course, the poem written on the Statue of Liberty. From there, I started writing my own words."
Salama said his favorite part of music is the writing process, stating that "it's great to have this idea and see it grow into a song and feel that sense of satisfaction when the words are touching and the chord progressions are moving." He draws his lyrical inspirations from just about everything—things he sees or has read or the people he knows.
Salama's parents were born in Egypt and immigrated to the United States before he was born, a fact that he feels has had a profound effect on who he is today.
"I think it made [my parents] more appreciative of the blessings we have in America," Salama said. "In Egypt, you don't have arts and crafts at school, orchestra and band, sports, etc. My parents encouraged us to be as involved as we could in extracurricular activities...I was on the swim team, I was a boxer, I was in the orchestra for a brief time, I played a little piano, water painting, etc."
Salama recently appeared on Neil Cavuto's Your World on Fox News. He commented on the May 7th arrest of six men suspected of planning an attack on Fort Dixon, as well as other extremists who have carried out attacks on others.
"They're wretched, wretched human beings. Honestly, it's something I can't speak to or even understand," Salama said.
Cavuto also asked Salama about his experiences as a Muslim country singer and whether or not he has been well received by the public. Salama said that he has received a lot of good, positive responses from people who have heard his music. One individual called him a "walking, talking, singing hope for the world."
Salama, who majored in chemical engineering at the University of Oklahoma, said that after completing his bachelor's degree, he wanted "to do something less technical." Having always been interested in philosophy, rhetoric, and logic, he felt that law school was a logical choice.
The summer after his first year, Salama clerked for Judge John T. Wooldridge of the 269th District Court in Houston. The next summer, he once again served as a clerk, this time at ExxonMobil Chemical Co. in Baytown, TX, for the chemical patents department.
"Both experiences were great for different reasons," said Salama. "I loved clerking with the judge because I got to watch great trial lawyers at work and just generally learn much of the practical procedure. The ExxonMobil was good as well. I learned an incredible amount about patent law, and for the most part, I drafted responses to office actions."
With law school now over, Salama plans to focus more of his attention on his music by giving performances and releasing a second CD.
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