They're regulars on MTV. Fans accost them in shopping malls. Their debut album smashed into the top 10.
But Debu is hardly your typical American pop export.
PHOTO: AP
The band's 17 members are all Muslims, and their songs of peace and love are making a big splash in Indonesia -- the world's most populous Islamic country -- where religious extremism, terrorism and anti-American sentiment are on the rise.
"We are doing it for Allah," said Washington native Najib Ali, the band's drummer, manager and Web site designer. "The music is just a vehicle to convey an important message, namely that in Islam everyone is protected and there is peace."
Debu's sound is a heady mix of Middle Eastern strings, thumping drums, flutes, violins, a harp and other Indonesian instruments picked up during the band's travels through this vast archipelago with 210 million people, about 90 percent of them Muslims.
The band is made up of 10 women and seven men. Most of them join in the singing, belting out the lyrics in a mixture of Indonesian, Arabic and English.
Fifteen of the group's members are US citizens, hailing from various parts of the country. They formed the band four years ago after visiting Indonesia along with their spiritual guru, Syekh Fattaah. Other members now include a Swede and an Indonesian.
Although they've never released a record outside Indonesia, Debu hopes to find a following among America's growing Muslim community.
"Our music is without limits -- it moves," said lead singer Kumay Mustafa. "What we try to do is make a combination of different sounds to make something universal."
The band's popularity in Indonesia underscores a growing Muslim revival in this country, where the practice and observance of Islam have long been generally less rigid than in Middle Eastern countries.
Muslims, especially young urban ones, are becoming more pious and orthodox. Islamic-style clothing -- once rarely seen on the street or in the media -- is gaining more popularity.
Made up of four families of mixed ethnic backgrounds, Debu live in three large houses in a suburb of South Jakarta, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac lined with banana trees. The band's stay in Indonesia is sponsored by a large Islamic foundation.
Rehearsals, held in one of the houses, are a family affair, with children banging on drums, shaking tambourines or dancing around the studio.
Debu's musicians are Sufis -- members of a mystical branch of Islam that emphasizes the allegorical nature of the Koran. Its followers strive for a direct, personal experience of God through meditation and self-discipline, normally under the guidance of a teacher.
Unlike most mainstream Muslims, many Sufis believe music and dance can be used as tools to get closer to God, and as ways of spiritual cleansing.
During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan late last year, a video clip of the band's latest single was repeatedly played on MTV Indonesia, the cable network's local unit.
Its debut album, Drunk with Love, has sold more than 50,000 copies, enough to break into Indonesia's top 10, according to its record label.
"They are so different from anything else I have seen," said one fan, Ali Mohammed, after a recent show at a five-star hotel in Jakarta. "Until now, we did not know there were American Muslims. It's an honor to have them there."
For other fans, the secret of the band's success is more familiar.
"The lead singer is so attractive," said one giggling female fan at the show.
MONEY GRAB: People were rushing to collect bills scattered on the ground after the plane transporting money crashed, which an official said hindered rescue efforts A cargo plane carrying money on Friday crashed near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said. Bolivian Minister of Defense Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft. Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died, but
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: By showing Ju-ae’s ability to handle a weapon, the photos ‘suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,’ an academic said North Korea on Saturday released a rare image of leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor. Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae, has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including last week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju-ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
RSS