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November 5, 2010 Special Dispatch No. 3353

Rap Song in English Calls For Release of Aafia Siddiqui

November 5, 2010
Special Dispatch No. 3353

Note to media and government: For the full report, send an email with "Rap Song In English" in the subject line to media@memri.org.

On October 24, 2010, a new English nasheed (Islamic religious song) titled "Who's Gonna Free Aafia Siddiqui?" was posted on the Shumukh Al-Islam web forum. Although the performer was not named, it is likely that it is American Al-Shabab commander Abu Mansour Al-Amriki (Omar Hammami).

Aafia Siddiqui is a Pakistani scientist who was sentenced for 86 years by a New York court for trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. The Aafia Siddiqui issue has led to a wide-scale anti-U.S. protest movement in Pakistan, led by Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan and other political leaders.

Another possible clue as to who is singing in the video, besides the voice, comes from the production company behind the video - Alqimmah Islamic Network - which is an Al-Shabab-affiliated website.

Following are the lyrics as posted on the Al-Shumukh forum; the text is lightly edited for clarity and endnotes have been added to explain unfamiliar terms:

"How Many prisoners Will It Take...

"For the Umma To Finally Come Awake

"And Make Jihad Against The Enemy

...

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