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JUDY WOODRUFF: The band 
Tinariwen hails from the 
deserts of Mali in North Africa.

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Its sound blends ancient Saharan 
instruments with electric 
guitars, and has earned the

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band devoted fans 
around the world.

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During a recent U.S. 
tour, however, band 
members experienced a 
darker side of America.

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Before a North Carolina show, 
they received a barrage of 
Islamophobic comments on social

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media.

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But as producer Ali 
Rogin reports, the city 
of Winston-Salem banded 
together to give them

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a warm welcome.

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The story is part of 
our ongoing arts and 
culture coverage, Canvas.

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ALI ROGIN: The band Tinariwen 
may have traveled far for this 
show, but it's on this stage

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where these musicians 
are most at home.

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They hardly speak any English, 
but here in North Carolina, 
they feel that their every

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word is understood.

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ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI, 
Tinariwen (through translator): 
Music is one of those things

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in life where there are 
no barriers or borders.

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And as musicians, this is what 
gives us the courage to travel 
very far away from our Sahara

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Desert.

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ALI ROGIN: Tinariwen's members 
are Tuaregs, an ethnic group 
from all across the Sahara

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Desert.

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They're nomads who lay 
down musical, rather 
than physical, roots.

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The band's music follows 
a rich Tuareg lyrical 
tradition, gone electric.

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And they're rock stars in their 
own right, sharing stages with 
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin,

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Carlos Santana, and U2's Bono.

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The story of Tinariwen follows 
the story of the Tuareg people.

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Until 1960, the Tuareg 
enjoyed autonomy in the north 
under French colonial rule.

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But then a series of dictators 
took control and subjected 
the Tuaregs to persecution,

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seizing their ancestral lands.

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Many fled to 
neighboring countries.

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Tinariwen's founders 
were among them.

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They met in an Algerian 
refugee camp in 1979.

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Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni 
plays guitar.

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ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI (through 
translator): Our music was 
born out of this reality of

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exile, hardships and suffering.

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ALI ROGIN: They moved to Libya 
to join a Tuareg military unit 
led by then-dictator Colonel

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Moammar Gadhafi, who 
provided them some freedom.

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But Tinariwen fought with 
their guitars, not guns.

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They sang about their people's 
struggle for freedom in their 
ancestral land called Azawad.

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ALHASSANE AG TOUHAMI, 
Tinariwen (through translator): 
We are from Azawad.

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Our identity is our Tuareg 
origin, and our goal for our 
country takes precedence over

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absolutely everything.

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ALI ROGIN: But none of that 
mattered to a few dozen people 
on Facebook, who saw a post

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promoting the show and 
responded with hate.

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"Any true American will not 
support this bunch of trash.

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Let them perform in their own 
country," said one poster.

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"Look like terrorists to me.

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No way," wrote another.

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One even threatened to 
bring his rifle to the show.

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Singer Alhassane Ag Touhami 
responds to the hate with humor.

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ALHASSANE AG TOUHAMI (through 
translator): Have they ever 
seen a terrorist sing a song?

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People who make music 
are not terrorists.

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They are actually 
persecuted by terrorists.

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ALI ROGIN: Tinariwen 
knows that firsthand.

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When Islamist extremists took 
control of their native Northern 
Mali in 2012, Tinariwen refused

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to obey the 
extremists' music ban.

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One band member was 
briefly kidnapped.

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ALHASSANE AG TOUHAMI (through 
translator): We know that some 
people in the U.S. say wrong

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and negative things about us, 
but we do not feel anything 
about them, because they are

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wrong.

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ALI ROGIN: And most people 
in Winston-Salem would agree.

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Wake Forest University senior 
Yassmin Shaltout grew up here, 
after her family left Egypt

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when she was 2 years old.

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YASSMIN SHALTOUT, College 
Student: I'm constantly 
surrounded by people 
that are very welcoming.

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ALI ROGIN: She's watched 
the Muslim community grow 
just within her lifetime.

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YASSMIN SHALTOUT: They used to 
get together at a local house, 
and then the church space

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was bought and 
converted into a mosque.

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We have added new parking 
space new building for a Sunday 
school, so that expansion is

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even viewed in, like, the 
physical expansion of space 
to accommodate more people.

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ALI ROGIN: But that 
expansion in the Tar Heel 
State has created tension.

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In 2015, a man in nearby 
Chapel Hill murdered three 
college students, all Muslims.

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Shaltout said it was a 
reminder that there is still 
some bigotry in her backyard.

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YASSMIN SHALTOUT: I do feel 
that, sometimes, my community 
is like a bubble, and it's been

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sheltered from all of these 
other terrible acts we 
see going on so close by.

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ALI ROGIN: But in this 
area, hate against a few 
is mourned by the many.

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After an anti-Muslim 
terrorist killed 51 people 
in a New Zealand mosque 
in March, non-Muslims

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filled a local Islamic center 
here to show solidarity 
with their neighbors.

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And they did the same 
before the Tinariwen 
show at the Ramkat club.

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This venue typically 
doesn't have a police 
presence, but because of 
some of the threatening

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comments the band received, 
the Ramkat increased 
security for tonight's show.

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But, as you can see, folks are 
still lining up outside, and 
the Ramkat says ticket sales

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for a Tuesday night 
are higher than usual.

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MCKENZIE GILLIS, North Carolina: 
Honestly, if you didn't buy 
tickets and you didn't give

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these people money, they would 
have no reason to care about 
what you're saying anyway.

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ROY HANTGAN, North Carolina: 
These are excellent musicians, 
peace-loving people who have a

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long tradition of making 
music, great music.

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ALI ROGIN: Before the show, 
city council members join the 
managers of the venue to declare

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it Tinariwen Day.

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RICHARD EMMETT, Co-Owner, 
Ramkat: We are happy 
that you are here.

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We are happy that you have 
chosen to be here this night.

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ALI ROGIN: Democratic 
Governor Roy Cooper 
wrote a letter welcoming 
them, and local musicians

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like Ryan Macleod recorded cover 
versions of Tinariwen songs.

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RYAN MACLEOD, Musician: I 
think everybody has experienced 
outrage fatigue, where you

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don't know what to do.

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And so here was something we 
could do to show that this 
isn't who we are in this town.

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ALI ROGIN: Tinariwen has 
always believed in the power 
of musical camaraderie.

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Their new album, "Amadjar," 
features American 
artists, including, 
Cass McCombs and Micah

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Nelson, the son of Willie.

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ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI 
(through translator): 
There is this brotherhood, 
automatic friendship

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and acceptance 
between musicians.

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It lets us bond as soon 
as we meet each other.

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ALI ROGIN: Their album title 
means foreign traveler.

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The songs champion universal 
values, love, brotherhood, and 
freedom, in their case, freedom

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for the Tuareg themselves.

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All around the world, their 
songs of longing for a lost 
homeland have opened doors.

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ABDALLAH AG ALHOUSSEYNI (through 
translator): We keep asking 
ourselves how is it possible

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that people who do not 
understand us or our 
culture, very far from 
our reality, can warmly

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welcome and support us.

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Words can't possibly explain 
how great we feel about that.

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ALI ROGIN: Tinariwen's new 
album is named for a foreign 
traveler, but, here, they were

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welcomed as native sons.

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For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm 
Ali Rogin in Winston-Salem, 
North Carolina.

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JUDY WOODRUFF: And 
what a great story.