French rapper Medine promotes a toned-down Islam to French listeners with his hip-hop music. This article suggests that his music promotes full participation in a secular democracy and free market. Named after Medina, Medine doesn’t emphasize religious dogmas. Rather, he focuses on the universal principles his tradition shares with Western society. Amel Boubekeur of the _cole des Hautes _tudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris notes that Medine reflects a larger social phenomenon in France. Boubekeur has named this new widespread movement among second and third-generation youths in Paris cool Islam.
