Being An Iraqi Musician Is A Dangerous Profession

Here is a story up on the dangers of being a musician in Iraq, including mass destruction of musical instruments and fake weddings being set up to ambush musicians. I’ve never read anything about this aspect of Iraq War II, so I found it pretty stirring, if not downright depressing. Both Al-Qaeda and The Mahdi Army didn’t take too kindly to musicians, many of whom were killed, had to play their music in hiding, or had to stop playing altogether It’s important for me to take a breather now and again from kvetching about Katy Perry to remember the often life-and-death struggles that artists around the world undertake against oppressive forces. [AFP]

 
being an american can be fun
On being an English major « Seven angels, four kids, one family
responses · 1,350 views · Ricky Gervais on being an Atheist
Could Arming the Rebels Bring an End to Syria’s Suffering?
Yet, not even the horrors being visited on an effectively defenseless civilian population by the Syrian regime’s mechanized assault on the rebel-held neighborhood of Baba Amr in the city of Homs look likely to move Western intervention in ...
How to Fake Being An Expert in Any Major Media Character, In 7 Easy Steps
It's tough to be a fan sometimes — there are so many famous characters, who have been going for so long, that it's hard to be an expert on all of them. And what's the fun in being a fan without being an expert? Especially as time goes by, with so many ...



 
  1. Clevertrousers  |   Posted on Nov 12th, 2008

    If you’ll allow me to indulge my world music geekery, here’s a link to an amazing Iraqi oud player based in Portland, OR (where else?). Rahim Alhaj:

    [www.rahimalhaj.com]

    He just played Joe’s Pub here in NYC in Sept. and is coming out with a new album in ‘09… Hell, we destroyed his country, the least we can do is support his music…

  2. Tenno  |   Posted on Nov 12th, 2008

    There was that documentary made about a metal band trying to make it in Iraq too, which I of course can’t remember. sigh.

Leave a Reply

Sign In Login