Somali hip hop artists hit back at Islamists with rap

AIROBI (Reuters) - For centuries, Somalis used poetry and songs to pass protest messages to powerful rulers they were too afraid to confront directly.
Now, some young Somalis are using rap to speak out against Islamists who they say are using religion to wage war in their country.
The 11-member Waayaha Cusub band, currently in exile in neighbouring Kenya, wants its rap lyrics to encourage fellow Somalis to stand up to Islamist rebels known as al Shabaab.
They have handed out at least 7,000 free copies of their newly-released album titled "No To Al Shabaab" to residents in Nairobi's Eastleigh neighbourhood, home to many Somali migrants.
"We will wipe out the fear of our people that no one can speak out against al Shabaab. We will show our people that we can challenge them," said Shine Abdullahi, the group's founder.
Al Shabaab have besieged Mogadishu's Western-backed administration and control much of the countryside. The United States says it is al Qaeda's proxy in eastern Africa.
The rebels have been joined by foreign militants who Western security agencies say are using the country as a haven to plot attacks in the region and beyond.
"They are talking about Holy war, they are training and misleading youth, and we want to stop the spread of those ideas and warn our people there is no Jihad," Abdullahi, 27, said.   Continued...

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