[DIV class=head]Song about Marine killing Iraqis draws ire
[DIV class=abstract]Video appears to show GI singing about gunning down family in 'Hadji Girl'
[DIV class=abstract]
[DIV class=abstract]AP
[DIV class=abstract]
[DIV class=abstract] [FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]WASHINGTON - A music video posted to the Internet, telling a tale about a U.S. Marine killing members of an Iraqi family, is being condemned by an Islamic group and investigated by the Marine Corps.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]The four-minute video, called "Hadji Girl," appears to be sung by a Marine in front of a cheering audience. The lyrics talk about the Marine gunning down members of an Iraqi woman's family after they confront him with automatic weapons.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]Lt. Col. Scott Fazekas, a spokesman for the Marines, said Tuesday that the Marines were aware of a video posted on the Internet that "purports to show a Marine singing an insensitive song about Iraqis." Fazekas said officials don't know the identity of the singer or whether he is in the military.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]The song was "inappropriate and contrary to the high standards expected of all Marines," Fazekas said. He said Marine officers are looking into the matter.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that in light of recent allegations of atrocities committed by Marines in Haditha and other towns in Iraq, the video should be investigated by the Pentagon and Congress.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]"The inappropriate actions of a few individuals should not be allowed to tarnish the reputation of all American military personnel," said Awad.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2][/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]Blowing girl's parents 'to eternity'
The video was posted anonymously on the www.youtube.com Web site, but was removed. It is still available on CAIR's web site. A Hadji is a pilgrim who journeys to Mecca, but CAIR said the word has often been used as a disparaging term by U.S. troops in Iraq.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]"The video is not reflective of the tremendous sacrifices and dedication demonstrated, on a daily basis, by tens of thousands of Marines who have assisted the Iraqi people in gaining their freedom," Fazekas said. "We agree with the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations that the inappropriate actions of a few individuals should not tarnish the reputation of all American military personnel."[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]The singer is shown playing a guitar and singing about meeting an Iraqi woman and then being confronted by her brother and father, who have guns. The lyrics describe the Marine pulling the woman's little sister in front of him and watching blood spray from her head.[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]He then sings about blowing the father and brother "to eternity."[/FONT]
[FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size=2]Defense officials are investigating allegations that U.S. Marines massacred as many as two dozen unarmed civilians in Haditha last November. Another probe is under way into charges that U.S. troops pulled an unarmed Iraqi man from his home in Hamandiya in late April and shot him to death without provocation.[/FONT]
[/DIV][/DIV]
