Musical Dissonance

American Muslim group angered by Marine’s amateur music video By John Hoellwarth Times staff writer When Cpl. Joshua Belile picked up his guitar and performed his original song “Hajji Girl” for buddies in Iraq, nobody was offended: He received only laughter and cheers from his audience. But a four-minute video of the performance posted on the Internet after his unit came back to Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C., in March has drawn the ire of a Muslim civil liberties group, which called upon the Pentagon and Congress June 12 to investigate the truthfulness of the song’s lyrics and to “identify and discipline” those responsible for the video. The Corps has launched an investigation at the urging of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The former sergeant major of Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, Robert Holub, warns Marines that “inappropriate comments, even if said in jest, can have far-reaching effects.” The Hajji of the song’s title refers to a Muslim who has made his obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca. It is not uncommon for U.S. service members deployed to the Middle East to refer to all Arabs as Hajji, either neutrally or pejoratively. Belile’s lyrics describe a Marine falling in love with an Arab woman at a Burger King in Iraq. The woman coaxes him home, and her brother and father meet him at the door armed with AK47s. The Marine in the song shields himself with the woman’s little sister when the brother and father open fire. He then takes cover behind a television, locks and loads his weapon and kills the men who attempted to ambush him. Belile’s lyrics are gory and vivid. CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said the song, which was viewed by about 50,000 people before it was removed from www.youtube.com, “glorifies the killing of Iraqi civilians.” Media reports have included words from the song published in CAIR’s June 12-14 press releases. Quoted out of context, the lyrics suggest the Marine in the song wantonly killed unarmed civilians. CAIR’s concern comes at a time when the Corps is investigating allegations that Marines in Hadithah killed as many as two dozen unarmed Iraqi civilians last November. The Corps is also investigating seven Marines and a sailor in connection with the April 26 shooting of an Iraqi civilian in Hamdaniya. No charges have been filed as a result of either investigation. Hooper explained the lyrical omission by saying that CAIR chose to “pull out those lyrics that we were most concerned over and that we most wanted Pentagon officials to address.” Belile is an aircraft mechanic assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 and served in Iraq from August 2005 to March. He was never awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, said 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing spokeswoman Maj. Shawn Haney. Kathleen Duigan, executive director of the National Institute of Military Justice said that the incident seems, at most, like a simple instance of bad judgment the Corps typically addresses with closed-door counseling or a reduction in a Marine’s proficiency and conduct marks. “That’s the problem with today’s day and age. You used to screw something up in the barracks, and your command would take care of it. Now, you screw something up on the Internet, it’s worldwide,” Holub said. “Marines need to be professional in all their dealings on and off duty. You may think you’re just making a private comment to somebody, but once it gets on the Internet, it could be harmful.” Military law experts agree that neither Belile nor the still-anonymous person who uploaded the video to the Internet seem to have committed a crime. Haney said the Corps’ own lawyers have told 2nd MAW’s commanding general, Brig. Gen. Robert Milstead, exactly that. Nevertheless, the Corps distanced itself, calling the actions of the songwriter and anonymous videographer “insensitive” and “inappropriate” in a June 13 release. Even though no crime appears to have been committed, Milstead appointed an investigating officer June 14 to conduct a preliminary inquiry, Haney said. Haney said Milstead made it clear that no gag order should be issued, though Belile has been told by his leadership to keep silent on the matter. Before he got that order, he told the Jacksonville Daily News, “It’s a song that I made up, and it was nothing more than something supposed to be funny,” according to a June 14 report. “I apologize for any feelings that may have been hurt in the Muslim community. This song was written in good humor and not aimed at any party, foreign or domestic.” dyzgoneby ~Just in case you didn't see this one~