Arab Hip-Hop: Another Perspective

I took a music appreciation class a couple of years ago at a community college, where I was introduced to an Iraqi hip-hop group named Euphrates. I found an article on them, but unfortunately one of their members was killed recently and they've split up. The group recorded and performed songs expressing their political outlook from an Iraqi point of view. Euphrates frontman "The Narcicyst" is involved with another Arab hip-hop group called Arab Summit; a musical project formed by artists with roots throughout the Middle East.
Here's a music video for the song "We Need Order."


It's interesting to see this post-9/11 rise in Arab hip-hop in the United States as a way to eliminate marginalization. I became interested in the subgenre back when I took the class, but like many classes forgot about it after the final exam. Now I've become more and more interested than before considering our discussions in class and how to deal with everything that's going on in the world.

I also found an interview with "The Narcicyst" himself; Yassin Alsalman:

Vicious Circle?

I'm not sure what I think about the debate. Anyone can state anything but no matter how morally and factually "right" is is, some one will disagree. It's hard to determine right from wrong in a country that, after reading these articles, seems to withhold massive amounts of information from it's own people. Either that or nobody cares; a category I would instantly throw myself into.

The entire situation is an unnecessarily vicious circle. However I felt that the statement made about AIPAC being the cause of the war in Iraq was a bit of an exaggeration. Then again I'm getting the feeling that the big picture is being run by closed-minded extremists from all sides of the playing field. If that's the case than the arguing will never end. I'm really at a loss for what to say as I stand by my belief that nothing will ever seem "right" and we've only seen the outer edge of a giant mess. With that I'll end with this quote from The Israel Lobby that I found interesting, being that the U.S. is funding these bullets:

"Since then, for every Israeli lost, Israel has killed 3.4 Palestinians, the majority of whom have been innocent bystanders; the ratio of Palestinian to Israeli children killed is even higher (5.7:1)." - Mearsheimer & Walt

Wild Thorns

I thought the book was great. It really showed the different impacts the war had on the different characters in the book. I thought it was crazy how concerned Usama was about everything, described on the ride to Nablus, only to arrive in a town where lifestyles had changed and people were almost oblivious to living under military rule.

The part in which I felt the truth really came out about the changes that had taken place was when Usama had spoken with the old man at the farm. Usama tries to get him to remember who he was, and asks about his cousin Adil who had worked there, and it all seems foreign to the man. I thought that showed how so much had changed that someone would seem as if they had been brainwashed with that thing Tommy Lee Jones uses in Men In Black.

At first, I found it a bit strange the way each chapter started, then I realized the impact it gave later. As each chapter ended, the next one began in a completely new setting with a completely new event taking place. Eventually I liked the way it jumped from story to story in a rather rapid manner, greatly emphasizing the number of issues and hardships these people went through living under such intimidating conditions.

Also, I found this interesting picture:

SnowMen In The Sun

I think it's safe to say that Kanafani's stories are a tad more on the darker side. All of which conveyed family struggles and hardships, but with an unexpected
M. Night Shyamalan-ish twist. The two shorter stories I felt related more to each other, in terms of the war and the characters' experiences confronting Jewish soldiers.

In The Land Of Sad Oranges, there's a disturbing image of the father seen through a window, ill-looking and accompanied by a revolver. A sight of such graphic violence is enough to give any kid looking through that window a pretty good freak out. I know I shouldn't, but I actually liked the comparison of the father's face to a rotten orange. I felt it really described his state of being.
At first, I didn't know what to think of If You Were A Horse. Not that I didn't like it, I just had something totally different being pieced together in my head. When I read that the boy's mother died after she gave birth to him, I thought just that; she died giving birth. Little did I know her skull was crushed by hooves.
A Hand In The Grave came off as quite the thriller. There was so much suspense and anticipation throughout the story until the "event." I would almost call it a backwards thriller, or what some call a "turn-off."
I got all excited for some wild demon thing to possess him, but he just stuck his fingers in the eyes.

The Koran Readings

I wish I could say that I found some similarities between the Koran readings and the Bible, but I can't. My knowledge of religion to this day goes no further than Jesus was born on Christmas, and resurrected on Easter. Yes, I grew up Catholic.

One thing I did see was the idea of punishment for sinning, which is a pretty basic concept and seemingly universal across all religions. This line sort of explained the fate of the nonbelievers (From the second reading):
"SHAKIR: (As for) those who disbelieve, surely neither their wealth nor their children shall avail them in the least against Allah, and these it is who are the fuel of the fire."
In this second reading it came off as a rundown of guidelines and rules to follow and the consequences for not doing so. That seemed to be pointed out a few times, like the first quote:
"SHAKIR: Say to those who disbelieve: You shall be vanquished, and driven together to hell; and evil is the resting-place."

Now the first story reminded me of the little I know about the Bible. A woman having a child that had never been "unchaste." Relating to Jesus's birth and later, resurrection:
"SHAKIR: And peace on him on the day he was born, and on the day he dies, and on the day he is raised to life"