"I am coming for you" and "Machine gun in my hand" are just two songs that are on the (tongue in cheek) Palestinian Hit Parade.  Can an entity such as this be real partners for peace?  It's a rhetorical question, I know.  But it is worth a peak into the music coming out of a society, to try to understand them better.  

American music is mostly about boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back, heartbreaks, new found love, and 'walking on sunshine'.  Examining music and poetry from Israel during the early years, it was mostly about 'the Land of Israel, peace, peace, and more peace, and building a better tomorrow.  Today, Israeli music has gravitated more towards the American love/relationship realm as the world has gone more global and that's what sells. Love is always a topic of the arts. In the Palestinian Authority, they also play Arabic love songs, but it is the songs of war that also dominate their culture.  And this is worrisome. Hatred, guns, bullets, swords, blood, skulls, death, martyrdom and Allah are common themes found in their battle songs. Songs get people to identify with them and songs get people marching.  

For a quick 46 minutes of 'fun', take a listen to the show by clicking HERE.  

And now, here is a piece written by my weekly guest, Walid Shoebat, an Arab researcher and former Islamic terrorist.  Put on your seat belts, he's going to give you an inside look at some of the music his old peers continue to embrace.

SONGS OF DEATH by Walid Shoebat

In my teenage days it was all about defeating Israel. Revolutionary songs played a key role in galvanizing Arab masses to Jihad against Israel; from wedding songs our fathers sang from 1948 glorifying terrorists to 1967 and 1973 during Yom Kippur. But now, it is getting much worse with Islamist Nasheed songs that speak of fortresses of skulls.

I memorized them all and we sang them with joy waiting for the day that we will get at the Jew’s Adam’s apple.

While Israel had Hatekva (Hope) as their national anthem, we had Fidae (terrorist) as our national anthem which originally came from Egypt taking the same music from their famous Biladi (my country), but changing the lyrics to Fidae (Terrorist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkHMpttMdvM

Fidai Fidai Fidai Ya Ardi ya ardal judud

Terrorist, terrorist, terrorist my land the land of my forefathers …

With my persistence and my fire

And the volcano of my vengeance

And my blood’s desire

To my land and home

I climbed the mountains and entered the struggle

I did the impossible and broke the shackles

Palestine is my home and the path of my victory

Palestine is my vengeance

And the land of my steadfastness

“Palestine” is defined as a “vengeance” and not just as a country. But the word “terrorist” in Arabic songs was not only a signature of revolutionary organizations like the PLO. The best Arab classical singers took pride on such songs. Singers like Abdul Halim Hafez, Umm Kulthum, Farid Al-Atrash and Fairuz who were all secular and the most favorite in the Arab world, yet they all contributed providing terror songs. Here you will find Abdul Halim Hafez from my old days:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KdlcgjvaxQ (start at 00:41)

Terrorist, terrorist terrorist terrorist … terrorist

I gift my blood to Arabism

I live or I die

I really do not care

Just to see the Arab flag reign

In the midst of dangers

There I will be

Victory was never safe

Inside the locations

Between the canons

In the middle of the bombs

I go down and fight

I live or die

I really do not care …

Then you will find Farid Al-Atrash, one of the best classical singers in Arab history. He even sang songs praising terrorists:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a9q07c5Yl4 (start at 1:08)

He sings of the day when the Jew will finally meet his ultimate fate as predicted in Islam:

Tell them where will you [the Jew] hide?

For you have a bitter appointed day

We united crescent and cross

And we gathered far and near

It will be a destined day

That history will record

They glorified Allah and said

Allah is great

Allah is great

There is no God but Allah

Then you have the time during Yom Kippur in 1973, the favorite song was Bismiallah (In the Name of Allah)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLOpMgJe3SM

Bismillah (in the name of Allah) Bismillah

Allah is Great Bismillah

Bismillah Call to the prayer Bismillah

We revive our Jihad in Bismillah

Allah Akbar (Allah is Great)

And say O Lord

The victory is great

We crossed the Sinai in Bismillah

Arab revolutionary songs are designed to make the terrorist intimate with his guns and his explosives. It is fast speed and its purpose is to move the adrenaline to make one’s blood boil with anger and hatred.

Take the song titled My Machine Gun in My Hand

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3IXZUYCoM

With my machine gun

In my hands

I will continue on the path

Since occupied territories

Will never return for free

I will continue on the path

My machine gun

And my bullets

Are the path to my salvation

And who will stand in my path

I will shoot in the head

And I will continue on the path

My machine gun is my comrade,

My friend and my brother

We understand each other’s language

And it saves me in time of trouble

My machine gun is always on my shoulder

It’s my bed and my blanket

And as long as we are together

We will never be afraid

And will continue on the path

Palestinian Revolutionary songs intend to make teenagers come out by the droves like locusts to kill the enemy Jew.

The song I Am Coming For You just does that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4grk00USsCA

(notice about 1:20 in, the IDF soldiers attacked by rocks)

I am coming for you

My enemy

I am coming for you

From every corner, nick and cranny

I am coming for you

With my weapons and my faith

I am coming for you

Our war is the war of the streets

I am coming for you

I swear that I will stand in front of you

My enemy

From every wall and house

We will come down

With knives and daggers

And with our hand grenade

We declared the people’s revolution

I swear my enemy

You will not escape

From the hand of the people and the revolution

And I will jump across the fire

As the people go on the path

Today Islamic revolutionary songs do not only call for eradicating the Zionist occupier but elevates a distinct pride when Islam removed past empires. It is globalist in its aspiration and is void of musical instruments, which are forbidden to use in Islam.

Such songs speak of massacres, beheadings and piling fortresses of skulls. They focus on reviving history of the glory days when Islam reigned, not just as a religion but as an empire.

The most favorite of Muslim terrorists is the song “Sawarem” (The Sword). Here it is fully translated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mw5-TU-hT0&playnext=1&list=PL06B251D548399CD9&feature=results_video

When I researched Jewish songs I could never find any song that had the word “war” or “blood” or “massacres”. When I finally found a song that had the word "war", it was Lo Yessa Goy El-Goy Kherev. I noticed the word “Kherev” means 'sword' (war), but the song was saying “And nations will not learn war any longer”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWloTpK2bzs

I pray for the day that the words of Isaiah the prophet are finally fulfilled. I’ve had enough of war songs.

Thank you Israel, for teaching me to do away with my war songs.

Walid Shoebat