Abd Al Malik

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Sufi Rapper

As a poor black resident in one of the notorious French banlieus (the ghettos surrounding French cities), Abd Al Malik had every chance of meeting the same fate as many of his peers: drug addiction, prison and/or an early grave. Despite his early involvement in the endemic crime that was routine in his neighbourhood, his keen intelligence won him admission to some of the most prestigious schools in Strasbourg. His dual life as student/pick-pocket ended when he converted to Islam, where again his intellect and sensitivity prevented him from entering the hate-filled spiral promoted by the fundamentalists. His distaste for the hatred they preached in the madrassas and his love of music led him to Moroccan Sufi master Sidi Hamza al-Qadiri al-Butchichi, whose message of universal love and joy now animates the rap songs of this prize-winning composer and performer. As the singer says in his 'Ode To Love': “Love the other whatever the cost and direct the struggle against yourself The treasure of the just is buried within my chest If there is enough for one, let's share it, there is enough for all.” · Explains how the luminous message of love in Sufism now animates Malik's music · Offers an intimate look at life in the ghettos and madrassas of the poorest neighbourhoods in Europe