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Monday, May 03, 2010

Arab hip-hoppers freak over Israeli keffiyeh

I have mentioned that a couple of companies have made Zionist versions of the keffiyeh, causing much consternation from Arabs worldwide and gathering ridiculous amounts of publicity for what is essentially a Jewish novelty item.

Well, now the hip-hop world is joining the battle.

A female Arab hip-hop star, Shadia Mansour, has made an entire song protesting the Israeli keffiyeh, insisting that the keffiyeh is Arabic. Some of the translated lyrics:

The kuffiyeh is Arabic, and it will stay Arabic

The gear we rock, they want it; our culture, they want it

Our dignity, they want it; everything that’s ours, they want it

They imitatin us in what we wear, wear; from this land enough, what else do you want?

Before y’all ever rocked a kuffiyeh, we here to remind em who we are

And whether they like it or not, this is our clothing style

That’s why we rock the kuffiyeh, cuz it’s patriotic

The kuffiyeh, the kuffiyeh is Arabic

That’s why we rock the kuffiyeh, our essential identity

The kuffiyeh, the kuffiyeh is Arabic

Come on, throw up the kuffiyeh (throw that kuffiyeh up for me)

The kuffiyeh, the kuffiyeh is Arabic

Throw it up, come on “Bilad Al Sham” (Greater Syria)

The kuffiyeh is Arabic, and it will stay Arabic

I like the "Greater Syria" lyric. I also like the fact that the song pretty much admits that the keffiyeh is not historically "Palestinian" but Arab.

This is all giving much publicity to the Zionist version, which has its own short video.

Meanwhile, there was an Arab hip-hop concert called "The Arab League of Hip-Hop" in Brooklyn. The highlight was an emotional rap song called "Long Live Palestine." As one would expect from a "national" movement that is really based on the eradication of another nation, the lyrics of the song are not about Palestine but rather about how evil Israel is - and a call to boycott supposedly "Zionist" companies. Here are some of the lyrics:
While we listen to tunes, made by ignorant fools,
Israel blocked the UN from delivering food,
They'll bring in the troops and you won't even glimpse at the news,
They make money of the products that we are quick to consume,
It's not simply a question of differing views

Every coin is a bullet, if you're Mark's and Spencer,
And when your sipping Coca-Cola,
That's another pistol in the holster of a soulless soldier,
You say you know about the Zionist lobby,
But you put money in their pocket when you're buying their coffee,
Talking about revolution, sitting in Starbucks,
The fact is that's the type of thinking I can't trust,
Let alone even start to respect,
Before you talk learn the meaning of that scarf on your neck,
Forget Nestle,
Obama promised Israel 30 billion over the next decade,
They're trigger happy and they're crazy,
Think about that when you're putting Huggies nappies on your baby,

Israel is a terror state, there terrorists that terrorise,
I testify, my television televised them telling lies,
This is not a war, it is systematic genocide,
But whatever they try, Palestine will never die!!!
What a great example of Palestinian Arab nationalism! Very little good to say about their beloved mythical homeland - just calumnies against the Jewish state.

The only thing binding Palestinian Arabs is hate.