CALLING ALL JIHADI RAPPERS

Whenever I have spoken to TV people about my project they have often mentioned a desire for film of what they call the "Jihadi Rap Scene" rumoured to exist in the Wembley area. You may remember the very profesionally made, if disturbing Dirty Kuffar. You're probably not suprised that I'm up for filming a bit of this so I went to Wembley at the weekend for a bit of a scout around.

On my way I passed this cheerful little news stand.

AnarchoAkbar has covered the issue very well including Mr. Straw's original article. When I see newspapers advertised in this way I usually try and confiscate the offending sheet if no one is looking.

In Wembley I found a huge South Indian community, with a large concentration of vegetarian restaurants. Looking through the door of one of them took me straight back to India so I had a quick Thali which I could hardly finish due to the shock of so much chilli for breakfast.



Round the corner I found a large mosque. I didn't go inside at first, instead I went to an Islamic bookshop next door where I asked a Muslim woman (who incidentally was wearing a veil) about "Islamic rap".

"Mecca to Medina" she told me were very popular and were from London but she didn't have any of their CDs in stock.

I walked back and forth outside the mosque for a bit, and finally got the courage to go inside.

"Do you know anything about an Islamic rap scene in this area?" I asked one of the kids.

He took me upstairs to meet the general secretary.

"How should I greet you? Sallam aleikum?" he asked.

"However you like mate. Wallekum Sallam." I answered.

Mohammad Hoda turned out to be a cheerful eccentric Indian Muslim from Bihar, sitting with a man he introduced as a professor of Sociology from Lucknow who had a proper Lucknow moustache. Within minutes I realised that both would look great on film.

General Secretary Hoda was proud of his Bihari roots, and said that he had looke through all the major religions and philosophies which sprang from this area before choosing Islam. He thought Islam was the original anti-capitalism. He said that communism in Russia had only lasted 80 years because it had no foundation. Islam was the real communism. If you have enough food for six, you share it with another five people. Many untouchables had become Muslims in India after sharing food with Muslims. I asked him what he thought of Jack Staws comments about veils, he said he agreed with Mr. Straw.

"I should see you, you should see me."

He had the article cut out in front of him.

I liked his endearing Indian attitude and he invited me to come back and film with him whenever I liked. He didn't know anything about a local rap scene though. On the way home I passed our old squat (in this film) which I was pleased to find the council had actually started renovating. Happy memories.

I went back to Wemley the next day. I've got to leave this a bit cryptic now, but I think I might have had a bit more luck...