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Index > Media > Anti-Racism Special

First of all - can you introduce yourself and your band to us?
My name is Suleiman Ali, a contradictiry gathering of proplasmic mass from Pakistan. My main musical outlet at present is Burzukh , an essentially solo project that has been polluting the metal world with strange eerie industrial gothic metal of varying quality for the last 7 years.

Could you describe your opinion and/or views on racism within 1-5 words?
Sadly misdirected hate / Ignorant Bullshit !

What are your views on your own country when it comes to racism? Bad? Worse? Not thát bad? Please explain.
I am from a country that has at least 6 distinct ethnicities (and many more including minorities). So there is a lot of racial / ethnic tension, and a lot of "pure" this and that crap. But since there is no existence of local Caucasians, we are without concepts of Aryan purity or neo-nazis. Honestly, though our own secretarian violence situation and political situation is pretty bad. And to boot, our own army is waging a war on our northern tribes man at the behest of and in collaboration with the US army.

It seems some kind of sick ´trend´ these days to bring racism into alternative music, referring to terms such as 'nazi-punk', 'NSBM' and 'right-winged electro'. What are your views on this? Do you think it will become dangerous?
I highly doubt that it will spread much further than its present status, and will remain a subgenre of the alternative music / lifestyle because any one with any brains can see through the sad propaganda of such causes. Also, most of the violently active elements of such groups are funded by more elaborate schemers, who use such dupes as pawns in a more complicated game, and it is in their interest to keep it active but minimal. The most ridiculous thing that the fore fathers of punk, black metal and electro were any thing but racists, and actually very much against such concepts.

Did you witness any racist things during local gigs, festivals, etc? Would you reject an offer to play a show together with an outspoken right-winged band?
Again, this does not apply to our country, as we already have enough problems holding a metal concert, but I have seen some ridiculous situations in the Pakistani metal scene : for eg. Pakistanis of local descent supporting international acts of reknowned racist slants in ideology. I was like "Come On !!!".Look in the mirror dude !

You're an outspoken Muslim, of which there aren't a lot in the metal scene. Have you ever had a personal share of racism (inside the metal scene)? Could you give us an example?
Yes, that is a very prevalent attitude in the metal scene. Metalheads basing their entire world view on some racist site dogma and CNN and using it as basis for bashing me or my beliefs. I am not a very model muslim (being way too much of metal head and a stoner ), but I still very much belief in the basics of my religion which I find to be just and moderate unlike the widely held view in the metal world. And it does not cause me to musically perform the knee jerk reaction that Christianity does in the form of satanic death and black metal (which I do enjoy because it is channeling some genuine spiritual frustration with an imperfect system). But I don’t think unless people really travel and see the world and live or interact with different cultures they can ever really understand what it all means. So a wider cross-cultural migration of the correct type is needed. Not the present exchange of heroin for guns, or terrorists for foreign aid, oil for extortion, Mac Donalds for resources etc.

Since the 9/11 attacks, the Islam is probably the most insulted and stigmatized religion in the world. Have you ever suffered useless personal insults (outside the metal scene that is) for beeing a Muslim?
Yes, this is very common any where and every where. As I travel often, I have found ridiculously biased views about muslims , sometimes even in muslim countries. Usually the personal insults only reflect the person's own shortcomings and those of his /her social condition and in a way I feel sorry for such people. There are people who fail to understand that everyone is human and need food , water, air, sex and respect. Everyone takes a shit, and everyone bleeds red. There are good and bad people of all religions and colors. We all try to make a living as best as we can, and we all try to discover our purpose in life. The widespread butchery of muslims all over the world by the US and their allies needs to be stopped, before it truly makes even the most humble and average muslim into a hater.

Got any final words?
I really appreciate your site's effort to make the world a better place, first with a very informative special on animal rights and now this special on racism. Also, I hope someday the differences can clear away to make way for a better saner world. Amen.

Interview by: Gerardo
Answered by: Suleiman (all instruments)
Listen to Burzukh at www.myspace.com/burzukh