There has been mucho discussion of late regarding protest music or the lack thereof regarding war with Iraq. Nothing along those lines has really struck a chord here in the US, perhaps because the majority of Americans (and growing according to NY Times report today) support military action to disarm Saddam.
No, the place where the anti-war message has real resonance is - surprise! - the Arab world, where a new tune, "The Attack on Iraq" is all the rage:
- "Enough!" demands the singer, an Egyptian named Shaaban Abdel-Rahim. "Chechnya! Afghanistan! Palestine! Southern Lebanon! The Golan Heights! And now Iraq, too? And now Iraq, too? It's too much for people. Shame on you! Enough, enough, enough!" [Washington Post]
- With a blend of anger, fear and humor, wrapped up in the staccato vernacular of Cairo's streets, Abdel-Rahim has once again demonstrated his knack for touching a popular nerve in the Middle East, this time ahead of a possible U.S. attack on Iraq. By doing so, he has created an overnight sensation in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and elsewhere, another sign of the emergence of Arabic pop music in recent years as an arena for dissent and protest over Israeli and U.S. policy.
....A former laundryman and part-time wedding singer with a wet-perm look, Abdel-Rahim was catapulted to fame in 2001 with his song, "I hate Israel." The manifesto — invective at Israel mixed with wry praise for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak — played on surging resentment unleashed by the Palestinian uprising and what many Arabs saw as Israel's disproportionate response.
Its opening line: "I hate Israel. I say it when asked."
Given the bitterness that conflict has engendered, the inflammatory lyrics drew less attention than Abdel-Rahim himself, who is reviled by the Arab world's cultural elite as boorish and bad-mannered.
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