The always inspiring Aki Nawaz, frontman of Fun-Da-Mental, has said that he's willing to go to prison if his band's new album does, as some claim, violate recently introduced anti-terrorism laws. Some legal people reckon the album, 'All Is War (The Benefits of G-Had)', includes some lyrics which could be argued to 'glorify' terrorism, which is now deemed an offence by the law.
Among the offending lyrics are those in a track called 'Cookbook DIY' written from the point of view of a suicide bomber. The track goes: "I'm strapped-up 'cross my chest, bomb belt attached, deeply satisfied with the pain I hatched, electrodes connected to a gas cooker lighter."
While Nawaz denies that the album condones terrorist attacks, it does strongly sympathise with the terrorists' cause. On the issue he is dealing with, Aki told the BBC: "As far as terrorism and the killing of innocent people goes, I find it repulsive. I know how the suicide bombers feel, but if they're going to do anything, it's got to be against military targets".
On running the risk of arrest for glorifying terrorism, he continued: "If I believe what I've done to be true, then I'll stick by my work 100%. If it means taking the rap and promoting the album from Belmarsh prison, I'll do it. What I have to say isn't new - other people have said far more contentious stuff than me".
Whether the album will get a full release, though, is a matter of some confusion because while Aki runs his own label, Nation Records, the BBC report that two of the company's 'silent directors' are greatly concerned about the possible criminal implications of the album and are threatening to quit if it is released.