CAIRO – A Muslim artist anti-ISIL rap video has been a hit on social media this week, rocking up 2.8 million views after Brussels attacks.
“It’s kind of overwhelming,” 22-year-old Bijaan Lalani, said in a phone interview from Toronto where he’s studying to be a chiropractor, Calgary Herald reported.
“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.”
Lalani posted his rap video last November. However, it picked up steam since last month’s attacks in Brussels, racking up 2.6 million views, 51,000 shares and 28,000 likes on Facebook.
In the video, Lalani speaks about why ISIL and its ideology do not represent Islam.
“They are not me/Please believe/I live with intentions of peace/They are not me/Though they seem to be/That’s just what they want you to see,” raps Lalani.
“I’m a Canadian/I’m a Muslim/I’m a student/ I love sports, I love friends, I love music/I fall in love and girls drive me stupid/I want to live life to the fullest and truest/They want you to fear us, they want a divide/They want us to hate so that we pick sides.”
He said that the rap idea followed November’s Paris attacks, when he wrote the lyrics in 30 minutes only.
Lalani then enlisted acquaintance Dominique van Olm to film a video, which the pair made one afternoon in a friend’s studio with help from Darren Snowden on sound.
Van Olm was eager to participate in the project when Lalani approached her with the idea and his lyrics.
“I read the words and I thought they were so honest and truly his voice. They resonated with me,” she said.
“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.”
Lalani, who is raised in Calgary, has been rapping since he was a teenager and has performed across Western Canada.
For him, the growing anti-Muslim views were a disappointment as he does not see himself as a Muslim identified with terrorism.
“I don’t feel like I’m saying anything really groundbreaking (in the video). It feels like common sense, but I don’t feel anyone is saying that right now,” he said.
Yet, the video’s popularity has dissuaded some people from developing anti-Muslim sentiments, according to a message he got from a stranger.
“He said…he’s subconsciously developed some racism towards Muslims. He said, ‘I’m really glad you shared this because it’s helped me get away from that,’” Lalani said.