For Safety, Afghan Travelers Tune In to Taliban Ringtones
21 replies, posted
[release]
KABUL—Afghan shopkeeper Nasratullah Niazai has developed a brisk new business over the past year. For about $2 a pop, he uploads into customers' cellphones a collection of Taliban songs and ringtones.A skinny 22-year-old who operates a one-room computer store on the outskirts of the Afghan capital, Mr. Niazai is no Taliban. Neither are most of his customers.Enlarge Image
[IMG]http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WO-AI280_TALSON_D_20111227180352.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/WO-AI280_TALSON_G_20111227180352.jpg[/IMG]
Dion Nissenbaum/The Wall Street JournalNasratullah Niazai, in his Kabul shop, sells Taliban videos and ringtones for customers to show on cellphones.
Instead, the songs and ringtones romanticizing the insurgents' jihad against the infidel invaders serve as potentially lifesaving travel insurance for Kabulis who brave increasingly perilous countryside roads.Sentries at improvised Taliban checkpoints, some only an hour's drive away from central Kabul, routinely check travelers' cellphones. As a result, government officials, police, soldiers, security guards, university students, translators for Western companies, construction workers and scores of others go to extraordinary lengths to scrub their phones of any evidence of links to the coalition and the Afghan government—and to masquerade as Taliban sympathizers.Business has boomed in the past year, Mr. Niazai said. The songs that buyers like best, he said, are "the emotional ones sung by children with beautiful voices."[h=3]Taliban Ringtones[/h]Listen to clips and read lyrics from three songs being used as ringtones.
"Teenager"
Your white tender body has been burnt by fire Oh martyr!
Zar, which oppressor has shot you?
I tend to the wounds of your beautiful limbs (and) the dry tender lips and burnt wounds
You are away from your home for the sake of your religion
Oh martyr Zar, Zar, which oppressor has shot you?
"Doomsday"
Its Judgment Day for the Satan of the West
The evening is blazing, blazing
The sound of machine guns can be heard
The screaming of the murderous can be heard
(Fighters) are positioned and ready on the top of the mount
The evening is blazing, blazing
"Suicide Bomber"
Young hero, martyrdom seeker (suicide bomber), you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, young hero, martyrdom seeker
You are the Muslims' atomic bomb
Young hero, martyrdom seeker you went up into flames
You astonished the entire world
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, hero, young man, martyrdom seeker
You destroyed yourself for the love of religion
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames
One consumer is Haji Mohammad Khan, a 35-year-old Kabul grocer. Whenever Mr. Khan ventures out of the city, he deletes secular music clips from his cellphone, makes sure all his contacts are in Pashto—the predominant language of the Taliban—and uploads well-known insurgent hymns."If they search your phone and see your videos and songs, they will think you are their sympathizer," he explained. "On occasion, it can save your life."Afghans who travel beyond the capital say insurgents have forced Afghans to eat SIM cards, broken phones on owners' heads and interrogated travelers for hours about their contacts with foreigners."If you are going 30 or 60 miles outside of Kabul, you will surely find Taliban on the road," said a member of President Hamid Karzai's government. "If you have Indian music or Afghan music ringtones, they will tell you that you are not obeying Islamic rules and, in most cases, break our mobiles."This official said that whenever he leaves Kabul, he routinely carries two SIM cards for his cellphone. One contains the numbers of Afghan leaders, Western officials, military officers and other contacts he needs to do his job. The other is the Taliban-safe SIM card that he pops into his phone outside the capital.The growing popularity of Taliban-safe phones highlights the increasing sense of insecurity across Afghanistan—and in particular in Kabul—as the U.S. is withdrawing one-third of its forces by September.United Nations officials, private security analysts and veteran aid workers in Afghanistan have all warned that it is becoming more dangerous to travel outside the Afghan capital. The U.S.-led coalition acknowledges increasing insurgent activity in provinces bordering Kabul, even as it says the Taliban have been seriously weakened in their southern strongholds.Under Afghanistan's pre-2001 Taliban administration, music was deemed un-Islamic, and was banned. Shopkeepers were arrested for selling music cassette tapes. Music was forbidden at weddings. Musical instruments were prohibited.The Taliban government, however, created exceptions for religious songs and jihadi chants, as long as the singing wasn't accompanied by instruments. In the 10 years since the Taliban regime's downfall, these insurgent tunes have evolved into a mini-industry.Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said the Taliban now have some 40 singers "with their beautiful and attractive voices," each of whom produces on average of one 12-song album every month.The songs "give a lesson in bravery, manliness and protecting the country from the invaders," and "feature the situation in an artistic way." Plus, he said, they ensure that people don't turn to ungodly secular music.While keeping Taliban songs on their phones may provide some security for Afghans traveling through dangerous areas, it can also create problems with their own government.Earlier this year, Mr. Khan, the grocer, said he was helping a friend report a traffic accident at a Kabul police station. His phone rang, and a Taliban song echoed through the office. "When I am martyred will you come to my funeral?" the phone blared. "Will you put flowers on my grave?"The officer filling out the report glared at Mr. Khan and asked him why he had the insurgent ringtone."I told him that I hate the Taliban, but I travel to a lot of provinces and this can save my life," Mr. Khan said. "The officer smiled and said: 'You coward.' "[/release]
[URL]http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203733304577102093405583640.html[/URL]
Their songs sound fucking horrible
Jesus, it sounds like they recorded those out of a cave!
Hopefully letting the whole world know about this won't make the Taliban suddenly wise to the scheme.
this just in: 22 year old afghan phone salesman found beheaded and hung from bridge
[release]
"Teenager"
Your white tender body has been burnt by fire Oh martyr!
Zar, which oppressor has shot you?
I tend to the wounds of your beautiful limbs (and) the dry tender lips and burnt wounds
You are away from your home for the sake of your religion
Oh martyr Zar, Zar, which oppressor has shot you?[/release]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXw6znXPfy4[/media]
Say what you want, that's pretty smart.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;33962081]Say what you want, that's pretty smart.[/QUOTE]
yeah but they took a picture of his fucking face and store, as well as telling the world of the scheme. I give him a week at MOST.
Here's hoping none of the Taliban have access to the Wall Street Journal, or we'll see this kid dangling from a rope within the year.
I'm pretty sure they already know about this.
And I highly doubt they're going to kill him.
[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;33962201]I'm pretty sure they already know about this.
And I highly doubt they're going to kill him.[/QUOTE]
Why not?
[QUOTE=Cone;33962215]Why not?[/QUOTE]
Well, their ringtone is a big hit at the office.
The source doesn't have as much information as you posted...and you said the songs sound horrible; are the songs uploaded somewhere?
[QUOTE=Cone;33962215]Why not?[/QUOTE]
Because like it or not. It's still supporting them in some ways. You're still giving them attention and the acknowledge that they're out there and feared.
and if anything. They're going to start checking people for extra SIM cards and kill them.
[QUOTE=Ninja Duck;33962276]The source doesn't have as much information as you posted...and you said the songs sound horrible; are the songs uploaded somewhere?[/QUOTE]
They probably don't sound as terrible in Arabic.
[quote]Its Judgment Day for the Satan of the West
The evening is blazing, blazing
The sound of machine guns can be heard
The screaming of the murderous can be heard
(Fighters) are positioned and ready on the top of the mount
The evening is blazing, blazing[/quote]
Wow even the Taliban have stereotypical lyrics
see we're not so different after
[quote]"Suicide Bomber"
Young hero, martyrdom seeker (suicide bomber), you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, young hero, martyrdom seeker
You are the Muslims' atomic bomb
Young hero, martyrdom seeker you went up into flames
You astonished the entire world
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, hero, young man, martyrdom seeker
You destroyed yourself for the love of religion
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames[/quote]
The title's somewhat priceless? And going up in flames like a moth isn't nearly as glorious as say, dual wielding two heavy machine guns and spraying bullets everywhere before being killed.
[quote]"Teenager"
I tend to the wounds of your beautiful limbs[/quote]
Great.
[QUOTE=Contag;33962369]Wow even the Taliban have stereotypical lyrics
see we're not so different after[/QUOTE]
Are those Slayer lyrics?
Someone should totally make a death metal song using these.
[QUOTE]
"Suicide Bomber"
Young hero, martyrdom seeker (suicide bomber), you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, young hero, martyrdom seeker
You are the [B]Muslims' atomic bomb[/B]
Young hero, martyrdom seeker you went up into flames
You astonished the entire world
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames
You burned like a moth, hero, young man, martyrdom seeker
You [B]destroyed yourself for the love of religion[/B]
Young hero, martyrdom seeker, you went up into flames[/QUOTE]
What a beautiful and inspiring lyrics. Let's go blow up innocent people at the market.
snip
[QUOTE=Spycrabz;33962340]They probably don't sound as terrible in Arabic.[/QUOTE]
They are in the source.
Thanks a lot media, now the taliban know exactly what is going on and will just kill people regardless.
Sounds like The Chipmunks: Taliban edition.
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