Boosting morale or addressing evil inside us?

I really can't take it anymore as dozens of pro-government songs that glorify the wars and death flooding the State and pro-Prime Minister TVs all the day and underlining the culture of violence in our society.

Whenever I watch a clip and listen to the lyrics I feel snakes coming out from the singers' mouths to whisper in our ears: "Take up the arms quickly otherwise you will be killed." 

Listen to this one that I picked for unknown "singer" called, Hassan Al-Hayel. His song has become the most popular one among Iraqis who play it loud in cars, stores, parks and even wedding parties. 

In a talk-show for a local radio, members of Iraqi security forces was calling from front lines in western and northern the country, asking specifically to hear that song. The director was repeating it over and over again.

In that song, called "Khali" or "My Uncle",  al-Hayel addresses his maternal uncle who traditionally has a special place in the hearts of his nephews and nieces among many Iraqi tribes and families other than the uncle from the father side. 

I’m not sure why, but maybe that’s because the sons and daughters are very close to their mothers rather than their fathers in our society given that a lot of the fathers are either busy with the daily life or maybe some of them are tougher with their kids other than the mothers.

Therefore, you can find that uncle mentioned in many poems, proverbs and stories that talk about love, kindness and care, as well as those related to the family support in bad times like wars. 

In brief, Al-Hayel tells his uncle that he's ready to sacrifice himself in order to protect him, pledging to kill his enemies and making them a lesson to the world. He promises his uncle to rush to help him like a "plane" and to be "a sword in his hands to cut off the enemy's hands and the tongue of anyone who talks about us in bad."

Those behind these songs say they aim at boosting morals among the public and security forces amid growing Sunni-led insurgency, but I think these lyrics are addressing the evil inside the people especially the uneducated ones from each side/sect who consider all the members of the other side/sect are their enemies and that they have to get rid of them before they do so. 

So scary!

kassakhoon@gmail.com