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 Formed in 2014, the band of teenagers met at school in
Indonesia's most populous province of West Java, and use their
music to combat the stereotype of Muslim women as submissive or
voiceless.
Wearing a hijab, or Islamic head scarf, should not be a barrier
to the group's pursuit of its dream of being heavy metal stars,
said Firdda Kurnia, 16, who plays guitar and sings.
"I think gender equality should be supported, because I feel I
am still exploring my creativity, while at the same time, not
diminishing my obligations as a Muslim woman," she added.
Invited to perform at a recent graduation ceremony at another
school, the trio quickly had fans dancing and head-banging at
the front of the stage.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," said one fan who attended,
Teti Putriwulandari Sari. "There's no law that bars hijab-wearing
women from playing hardcore music.
"This also relates to human rights. If a Muslim girl has a
talent to play the drums or a guitar, should she not be
allowed?"
Besides covering classics by groups such as Metallica and
Slipknot, the band perform their own songs on issues such as the
state of education in Indonesia.
Muslims make up nearly 90 percent of a population of 250
million, the vast majority practising a moderate form of Islam,
although there are some conservative strongholds.
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Not everyone in the town of Garut, where the band was formed, and
which is home to several Islamic schools, feels the community is
ready for them, or that their music is appropriate for performance
by young Muslim women.
"It is unusual to see a group of hijab-wearing girls playing metal
music or even women shouting," said Muhammad Sholeh, a teacher at
the town's Cipari Islamic boarding school, adding that religious pop
music was popular with many young Muslims.
"But we're talking about metal here, which is loud."
Maudya Mulyawati, a student at the school, felt the band should
focus on singing "Salawat", an invocation to the religion's founder,
Prophet Mohammad.
An official of a top clerical body said although the group might
trigger a culture clash in a conservative area, he did not feel it
broke with Islamic values.
"I see this as part of the creativity of teenagers," added Nur
Khamim Djuremi, secretary general of the Islamic Art and Culture
Division of Indonesia's Ulema Council.
(Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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