Dirty Kuffar - Significance

Significance

Unlike any other controversial rap song or form of music, 'Dirty Kuffar', as an independent song, has hit the mainstream media headlines from the day it was released in 2004 to present. and even internationally. The Globe and Mail on 17 August 2007 have said that:

• "Since its release, Dirty Kuffar has been downloaded onto millions of computers and remixed by many like-minded web jihadists. You can find it on video-sharing sites such as YouTube."

In Australia, newspapers, television reports, Google hit results for terms such as "jihad rap" return hundreds of references and has been a hot topic on both Music and Right-Wing internet forums.

This may be because of the significance of the impact of Islamic and Western cultures and beliefs being such a popular topic or the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Western countries.

As of 24 June 2007, over 3 years since the videos release, Google return over 27,500 hits for the search 'Dirty Kuffar' and over 818,000 for 'Jihad Rap'. A Google search for 'Digihad' returns 14,700 hits.

The Arabic news station Al-Jazeera reported on the phenomenon.

Steven Emerson, an investigator of jihadist activities of the Investigative Project, via jihadwatch.org comments on the video:

"The video you are about to watch is a rap video designed to inspire people to take up jihad against the West. Posted on a radical Islamic website based out of the United Kingdom, the video is undeniably entertaining, as professionally produced as any video you might see on MTV. Consider the irony: radical fundamentalism, sworn to destroy Western culture and beliefs, uses that culture to market its hate. Paralleling the same deception, the Islamic organization that produced and marketed this video claims to be an Islamic "human rights" group but in reality is a group sworn to support the killing of Jews, Christians and moderate Muslims."

Screen shots from the video depict the singers wearing Palestinian Keffiyeh's around his head, atop a balaclava.