Reporter's Notebook: A Different Kind of Terror Tune
Fox News
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292567,00.html

I've reported on hundreds of terror stories over the years. It's nice to report an "anti"-terror story for a change. A Pakistan-born British man and his two sons have done what a lot of people have long been demanding: They are Muslims declaring that those who use terror in the name of Islam are wrong.

Waseem Mahmood and his two sons, Khurrum and Khaiyyam, have made this statement via a song and music video. It is called "Yeh Hum Naheen," Urdu for "This is Not Us." The lyrics say it all: "This story that is being spread in our names is a lie.… The name by which you know us we are not."

Taking a page right out of the hugely successful all-star relief song "We are the World," the song is performed by top young singers in Pakistan. Juxtaposed among the shots of the singers are ugly scenes and headlines about terrorism as well as heart-warming scenes of Pakistanis singing along … with passion.

Waseem Mahmood is a TV and media producer who used his contacts in the business to pull the project together. But it was really his sons who pushed to make this happen. They told their father they were tired of being targeted by extremist Muslims in Britain who thought they were too secular. And they were sick of seeing terrorists cloak their activity in religion. The reaction has been huge. The song shot to No. 1 in Pakistan. And thanks to the Web, it's gone global. There have been 65,000 downloads thus far.

The video has now been released in the U.K. with subtitles. The U.K., like Pakistan, is no stranger to terrorism. Officials in the two countries think the song is great. Others aren't as thrilled. According to video creator Waseem, extremists here have criticized the song, saying it should target governments they claim are responsible for the terror … not the terrorists. But that's the very twisted logic the song is trying to knock down.

We played the video to some young people in one British neighborhood and the reaction was uniformly positive. It seems that the Mahmoods have really struck a note, tapping into feelings held by a lot of Muslims. And to hear them, they have only just begun their mission. The next priority is an Arabic version of the song. Then an English version. Then a "Live Aid"-style concert. And a few other interesting projects they don't want to talk about yet.

It might just be that the drumbeat of the War on Terror could benefit from a little backbeat from songs like "This is Not Us." Play on!

Riazat Butt
Monday July 30, 2007
The Guardian
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2137552,00.html

In Pakistan they are as famous as Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake, with 60m album sales between them, and their first musical collaboration has had 65,000 downloads and been number one on MTV. But the pop stars on one of the biggest Pakistani records of 2007 are not singing about young love or broken hearts, but terrorism.

Yeh Hum Naheen, This Is Not Us, has become an anthem for Muslims wanting to distance themselves from extremism and violence and the artists want it to inspire a similar reaction in Britain, where the single has just been released.

One of the singers, Haroon Rasheed, says: "People are associating Islam with terrorism, we are all being tarred with the same brush, and it is time we stood up and said no, this is not who we are and this is not what we are about."

The song's success in Pakistan has much to do with the lineup - Haroon, Ali Zafar, Hadiqa Kiani, Shafaqat Amanat Ali, Strings and Ali Haider have a huge fanbase. In Britain, where 43% of the Muslim population is of Pakistani origin, the record is on the playlist of Asian radio stations and cable music channels. But it may be a little harder to promote.

Project coordinator Waseem Mahmood, a 45-year-old author and media consultant, says: "The mullahs and hardliners will not be listening to this because they think music is forbidden. But the hardliners' voices are the loudest. It is time for the moderates to stand up for themselves."

Yeh Hum Naheen started when Mr Mahmood decided to combat growing puritanism in Birmingham's Muslim community after one of his sons was criticised for eating western food and the other sent home from Qur'an classes for wearing a Sonic the Hedgehog T-shirt. He approached leading musicians to take part. "It was a bit like Band Aid; nothing like it had ever happened in Pakistan," said Mr Mahmood.

Times Of India: Editorial Feature
Hamein jis naam se tum jantay ho, woh hum nahien' — the name by which you know us, we are not that — sums up the sentiment and message of a song by a group of Pakistani pop stars that is reportedly a hit among young Pakistanis. Titled 'Yeh hum nahien' , the song and subsequent music video are in response, and in opposition, to the growing radicalisation of youngsters in the name of Islam. The group says it is imperative that those Muslims who do not condone acts of terror borne of ideological goals, or perceived slights to the Muslim world by the West, must speak out loud and clear.

The need for moderate Muslims to stand apart from radical elements is pressing. There must be a countervailing force from within the community to extremists who seek to distort and hijack Islam to suit their perverse interests. This is the rationale that has motivated scores of British Muslims to borrow from the anti-Iraq war movement and launch a campaign that goes by 'Not in our name'. The voluntary movement has issued advertisements in papers condemning the attempted attacks on London and Glasgow and has dissociated itself from those who advocate and perpetrate violence. The crux of the campaign is to emphasise the allegiance of British Muslims to Britain.

Ever since the Indian link to the recent UK terror plot has been uncovered, there is concern that Indians may have to bear considerable negative profiling. There have been reports of patients refusing to be treated by Indian doctors in Australia after the detention of Indians in connection with the plot. Racial prejudice is an unfortunate reality of our times, though sometimes the initial alarm at sudden threats exposes more a normal human response than overt racism. It is important to understand that this kind of prejudice is often a reaction to radical and violent expressions of sectarian grievances, real or imagined.

There are groups of people in every society that nurture one grievance or another. However, in a democracy the expression of grievances must necessarily involve frank debate and discussion. And that necessarily includes denouncing those who resort to violence to push their end. The onus ison moderates within communities to take the lead instead of retreating — metaphorically or otherwise — to ghettoes. There is an urgent need for substantive gestures. If governments are to tackle terrorism effectively, it is crucial that citizens cooperate. To that end, there can be no ambiguity in condemning violent co-religionists. British Muslims have taken the lead. It is a worthy example for moderates elsewhere to emulate.

UK newspaper 'The Guardian' also discuss the powerful message behind Yeh Hum Naheen
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/khaled_diab/2007/07/song_for_the_deaf.html

BBC World Interview Waseem & Haroon
BBC World show, The Beat interview Waseem Mahmood and Yeh Hum Naheen featured artist Haroon on the popular show The Beat.

» Listen to the Podcast here.