American Muslim group takes Indonesia by storm

American Muslim group takes Indonesia by storm

Chris Brummitt
Associated Press
Jakarta

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.

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, D.C. native
Najib Ali, the band's drummer, manager and website 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 U.S. 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 Quran. 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.

"Singing the songs over and over again is kind of like
scrubbing a dirty pan," said Mustafa, who comes from Oregon
state. "Your heart is that dirty pan."

Western groups, mostly boy bands or long-haired rockers, have
long been favorites among Indonesian teenagers. But a Western
musical group spreading Islam is a first.

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.