Calgary Rapper's Anti
Isis (daesh), Rap.
Frustrated by rising
Islamophobia in the wake of the ISIL-linked attacks in Paris, a Muslim rapper
from Calgary decided to speak out.
A video that
artist Bijaan Lalani
posted online in November has picked up steam since last week’s bombings in
Brussels—in seven days, the video racked up 2.6 million views, 51,000 shares
and 28,000 likes on Facebook.
“It’s kind of
overwhelming, if it could change one person’s mind, or make one person think
differently, then it was successful for me. I’m blessed with how many people it’s
reached.”
Bijaan found a
way to capture what a lot of people are thinking but might be too afraid to say
themselves. He did it with such honesty and elegance and it gave it a lot
of power.”
Raised in Calgary,
Lalani has been rapping since he was a teenager and has performed across
Western Canada, though his music is now on the back burner because of his
studies.
He said he didn’t
experience racism growing up but in the wake of recent world events, he has
become frustrated be growing anti-Muslim views.
Reaction to the viral
video has, for the most part, been positive and Lalani said he’s heard from
several Muslims thanking him for saying what they’ve struggled to
articulate.
He’s also received
messages from strangers, including a man who said the lyrics opened his
eyes.
Posted by,
Sir Richard…
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