美国国家公共电台 NPR In The Shadow Of A Terrorist Attack, Rapper Is Targeted By France's Right Wing

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A Paris concert that's months away is already generating controversy. A Muslim rapper is scheduled to play at the Bataclan. That's the concert hall where 90 people were killed by Islamist extremists in a terrorist attack 2 1/2 years ago. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley sends this report.

ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: The idea of the French Muslim rapper Medine playing for two nights at the Bataclan has stoked outrage on the right. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen gathered thousands of signatures on a petition to ban the concert.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARINE LE PEN: (Through interpreter) Is it normal that a militant fundamentalist Islamist goes to the Bataclan to express his hatred and defend ideas that I believe are inciting crimes?

BEARDSLEY: Medine argues that he's always fought radicalization in his music. In a statement released by his record company, he asked, when did we start letting the far-right manage the country's concert halls? The 35-year-old rapper describes himself as an Islamo-hooligan (ph). His lyrics talk about the French Muslim experience - living in the ghetto, facing discrimination. His tone toward French society is often hostile. So far, Medine's critics have focused on a 2015 rap song against French secularism. A lot of French Muslims feel the country's official policy of secularism is used as an excuse to target their faith.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DON'T LAIK")

MEDINE: (Rapping in French).

BEARDSLEY: Medine's song talks of crucifying the secularists like at Golgotha. It happened to come out just a week before terrorists killed 12 people at the satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo. Medine's detractors are also criticizing one of his albums entitled "Jihad." In a recent TV interview, Medine said people are twisting his lyrics and taking them out of context.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MEDINE: (Through interpreter) First of all, the album has a subtitle which was "The Biggest Battle Is Against Oneself" because jihad signifies above all the internal struggle. And secondly, this album came out 2005 in a completely different context. It would be impossible to title an album "Jihad" today.

BEARDSLEY: Medine has worked to defuse the French culture war over Islam. He sells a line of T-Shirts with the slogan, I'm Muslim. Don't Panik. And he co-wrote a book with a historian about racism in France. Karim Amellal is working on a presidential commission to fight anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in France. He says every Muslim can identify with Medine.

KARIM AMELLAL: Medine is one of the very important characters of the French Muslim community. Muslim have the feeling that they are not recognized, and they are always assimilated to terrorists and jihadists.

BEARDSLEY: Even a Bataclan survivor tweeted that politicians should not exploit the victims of the attack for a bogus controversy. The theater itself has refused to get involved in the fray, but when reached on the phone, an employee told me that Medine has nothing to do with the terrorists. Amellal from the presidential commission says this debate has galvanized public opinion because it involves two groups that are victims.

AMELLAL: It's like a showdown between two legitimate symbols - the Bataclan and Medine and Islam.

BEARDSLEY: This spring, Medine released a new song, a sentimental ballad about the Bataclan. He raps, all I ever wanted was to play the Bataclan. The lyrics don't mention the attack there. Medine's concert at the Bataclan is not until October. This debate is far from over. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BATACLAN")

MEDINE: (Rapping in French).