The Brothers Keepers has been spearheading efforts to combat racist practices against minorities in Germany.

GERMANY, April 28, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – In an effort to combat rising racism in the European country, a famous German musical band recorded a new album decrying racist practices and attacks against ethnic minorities in Germany.

Under the title, “Am I My Brothers Keeper”, the Brothers Keepers recorded twenty songs in English and German to fight hostile acts practiced by extremist right-wing groups against foreigners and Germans of African origin, according to the band’s Web site.

Suffering for years from racial practices against them, the band members, most of whom are black, decided four years ago to stand up to racist attacks against minorities in the European country using songs.

“Racial discrimination was a normal thing at school where my classmates used to refuse to sit near me in class. They even used to look down on me because of my black skin,” said a band member, who is born to a German mother and a black American father.

Seizing on its fame among German teenagers, the Brothers Keepers has been spearheading efforts to support the human issues of concern for minorities in Germany, especially efforts to fight racism in the country.

“We are singing for drafting an anti-discrimination law in Germany,” the band member said.

Over the past ten years, more than 120 people were killed by right-wing members, just for racial reasons, the band’s Web site said.

Following the killing of a Mozambique young man by members of the new Nazi groups, the Brothers Keepers recorded a song, named the “last warning”, to draw public attention to the rising racist attacks against foreigners, especially those with black skin.

Since then, the German band steadily joined charity efforts to serve minorities in Germany.

As a case in point, the band helped return the body of an African immigrant in Germany to his homeland Nigeria.

It also helped a Congolese citizen, who was to be deported from Germany, to work as a member in the band.

“The band is playing a significant role among the German people, especially teenagers, as a result of the failure of policies in fighting racism in Germany,” the band leader told the German news agency.

As part of its efforts to help the victims of racist practices in Germany, the Brothers Keepers also dedicates a share of its songs’ revenues for helping victims of racist attacks and offering the necessary medical and psychological care for the victims.

It also helps file lawsuits on behalf of foreigners who were subject to racial practices.

The German band also offers financial assistance to families, whose breadwinners were victims of racial attacks.

It also assists the persecuted families to move from their places to other locations to avoid racist practices against them.

The Brothers Keepers further participate in several human activities such as paying visits to schools, refugee camps and prisons as well as taking part in seminars on racial practices against minorities in Germany.

Racist attacks against foreigners are on the rise in Germany, especially in the eastern cities where economic conditions are deteriorating.

There are some 3.4 million Muslims in Germany, including 220,000 in Berlin.

An estimated two thirds of them are of Turkish origin.