Eager to reach Muslim youth before zealots do, reform-minded Islamic leaders and Western policymakers have begun to think about hip-hop as a useful tool in the battle against extremist Islam. "When you talk about engaging with young people, there's no better forum than loud music," says Fuad Nahdi, publisher of Q-News, a British Muslim magazine. "Hip-hop can harness the rage of young Muslims, and turn it into song." Britain's Mecca2Medina began rapping at the suggestion of a sheik at their mosque. "Suicide bombing is not the answer!" they chanted to a Muslim crowd at a concert staged after the July 7 London bombings. As part of its efforts to promote democracy in the Arab world, the U.S. State Department last summer funded a project promoting young rappers in Morocco. There is talk of expanding it to other Muslim countries. [Time via Agenda Inc]