The Devil You Know with Sarah Marshall

Episode: A Second Helping from Satan: Arab Spring, Satanic Summer

Date: November 13, 2025

Host: Sarah Marshall (CBC)
Featured Guest: Shirin Amre (Musician, founder of Egypt’s first all-female metal band Massive Scar Era)
Producer/Interviewer: Mary Stephanhagen
Notable Expert: Paskolina Eckerstrom (Doctoral Researcher, University of Helsinki)

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, Sarah Marshall and her team turn their lens on the little-explored Satanic Panic that took root in Egypt during the early 2010s. Through an in-depth interview with Shirin Amre, an Egyptian-Canadian musician and trailblazer, the discussion traces how music, gender, politics, and fear collided in the years after the Arab Spring—leading to public accusations of Satanism and demonic possession. The episode examines the personal and societal consequences of moral panics, interweaving Shirin’s journey of cultural exploration, exile, and reclamation through ancient rituals and music.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shirin Amre and Massive Scar Era: Breaking Barriers in Egypt

• Early Days and Band Formation

  • Shirin Amre founded Massive Scar Era in 2004, Egypt’s first all-female metal band.
  • Initial formation was "hard," with Shirin recalling how she begged friends to learn instruments just to form the group.
    Quote: “Oh my God, it was hard.” – Shirin Amre, [02:19]

• Navigating Gender & Family Expectations

  • The idea of an all-female band was driven by safety concerns imposed by Shirin’s mother in a conservative society.
    Quote: "My mom forced it on me." – Shirin Amre, [07:59]
  • Metal was both viewed as a “privileged” and “foreign” music scene in Egypt with links to Western education, language, and class.

• Community Reception & Challenges

  • The band experienced ridicule and dismissiveness from the overwhelmingly male metal scene.
  • Shirin observed the tension between being seen as “tokens of progress” versus “symbols of moral decay.”

2. Satanic Panic in Egypt: The Political & Cultural Climate

• Background: The Arab Spring and Aftermath

  • The 2011 revolution brought instability, eventually leading to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood.
  • “The ground was ripe for a moral panic,” explains Mary Stephanhagen.
    Quote: “Whenever you like. Religion only applies to women, whether controlling their bodies, everywhere.” – Shirin Amre, [15:09]

• Accusations of Satanism & Social Backlash

  • After a heavy metal show in 2012, Shirin and other musicians were accused of promoting Satanism and foreign (Western) values.
  • Incidents included media attacks, with Shirin’s photo labeled on magazine covers as “the Devil’s Music.”
  • Metal and techno music described as "demon’s music" by prevailing media.
    Quote: “Media, metal, techno, trance, all of that was demons music…” – Shirin Amre, [13:41]
  • The panic was politically weaponized: accusations were less about theology and more about "the West" threatening Egyptian identity.

3. Personal Risk and State Surveillance

• Systemic Harassment

  • Shirin describes ongoing government surveillance and previous police investigations into the metal scene dating back to the 1990s.
    Quote: “They knew our names… [they would ask] any of them doing alcohol?” – Shirin Amre, [17:56]

• Facing Persecution

  • At the height of the panic, Shirin was confronted at work with police documents accusing her of Satan-worship.
  • She feared for her safety due to the intensity of public anger:
    Quote: “There’s a justification for you to die, you know?” – Shirin Amre, [17:29]

• Legal Pretext: Atheism and Foreign Influence

  • The official accusation was “spreading foreign culture against family tradition” and promoting atheism—a crime in Egypt.

4. Gendered Nature of Accusations

• Expert Insight: Paskolina Eckerstrom
  • Male musicians were interrogated for “terrorism,” while women—Shirin in particular—were accused of witchcraft and being “possessed.”
  • Quote: “Shirin, being a female, was interrogated for being basically a witch, for doing black magic, and for being basically possessed by Satan.” – Paskolina Eckerstrom, [24:46]

5. Exile, Trauma, and Searching for Belonging

• Leaving Egypt

  • Following further unrest and personal risk—including witnessing sexual violence during protests—Shirin chose to immigrate to Canada in 2015.
    Quote: “It kind of, like, clicked that this could happen to me. If anyone recognized my face from that article, it was a panic.” – Shirin Amre, [26:23]

• Adaptation and Healing

  • In Montreal, she explored new musical forms, including the ancient North African ritual music, Tsar.

6. Tsar Music: Reclaiming Spirit and Identity

• Cultural and Spiritual Significance

  • Tsar is a ritual tradition involving trance and reconciliation with outsider spirits, often demonized by mainstream religious authorities in Egypt.
  • Shirin draws parallels between the trance induction in Tsar and the catharsis of metal music’s moshpits.

• Irony and Symbolism

  • Having been accused of possession, Shirin now embraces ritual music that literally seeks dialogue with spirits.
    Quote: “There is a similarity between a mosh pit and head banging and a trance…” – Shirin Amre, [29:16]
  • Her song "Ginni Alembu" is a call to a jinn (spirit), which made some friends and listeners genuinely frightened.

7. Belonging, Grief, and Artistic Expression

• Finding Peace Through Art

  • Tsar music became a “healing project.” Lyrics capture themes of longing, estrangement, and the search for home.
  • Quote: “I've been estranged for you for years. Reluctantly you forsook me and where can I find patience to endure?” – Shirin Amre reciting lyrics, [34:20]

• Enduring Influence

  • Despite her move to Canada and stylistic changes, Shirin acknowledges that a complete sense of belonging remains elusive.
  • The "spirit of the night" in Tsar, associated with search and unrest, resonates with her emotional journey.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:19 | Shirin Amre | “Oh my God, it was hard.” | | 07:59 | Shirin Amre | “No, my mom forced it on me.” | | 13:41 | Shirin Amre | “Media, metal, techno, trance, all of that was demons music…” | | 15:09 | Shirin Amre | “Religion only applies to women, whether controlling their bodies, everywhere…” | | 17:29 | Shirin Amre | “There’s a justification for you to die, you know?” | | 24:46 | Paskolina Eckerstrom | “Shirin, being a female, was interrogated for being basically a witch… possessed by Satan.”| | 26:23 | Shirin Amre | “It kind of, like, clicked that this could happen to me. If anyone recognized my face from that article, it was a panic.” | | 29:16 | Shirin Amre | “There is a similarity between a mosh pit and head banging and a trance…” | | 34:20 | Shirin Amre | “I've been estranged for you for years. Reluctantly you forsook me and where can I find patience to endure?” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:38–04:19]: Introduction to Shirin Amre and the origins of Massive Scar Era
• [05:17–07:31]: Struggles of starting the band, community responses, and forced "all-female" dynamic
• [09:03–11:17]: Navigating Egypt’s male metal scene and family constraints
• [13:41–15:03]: Satanic panic narratives and Shirin’s first brush with accusations
• [17:27–18:52]: Police involvement and systemic monitoring of musicians
• [19:52–22:59]: Expert context—comparison to previous metal panics and patriarchal structures (Paskolina Eckerstrom)
• [24:46–25:30]: Gendered aspects of persecution
• [26:23–27:12]: The trauma leading to emigration and reflections on change
• [28:08–34:46]: Embracing Tsar tradition, spiritual beliefs, and music as healing
• [34:11–35:49]: Lyric recitation and the symbolism of “spirit of the night”

Tone & Takeaways

The episode’s tone is candid, empathetic, and deeply reflective, moving from tense personal anecdotes to broader cultural analysis. It's a poignant exploration of how music can be both a site of panic and a source of healing, and how individuals navigate identity, gender, and belonging when they're made the face of someone else’s moral fears. For listeners, it’s not just a history lesson—it’s a reminder of the resilience of artistic and personal agency in the face of social and political repression.

Summary compiled based on original audio transcript; conversational tone and language maintained where possible; only core content areas represented.