The Palestinian community in the United states goes about its life and work in dignity within the American society and not one of its members has been implicated in anti-U.S. terrorist cases despite all the Palestinian distress over Washington’s policy. There are many Palestinians who have been born there and who have become completely immersed in the American way of life. Among them is the Palestinian rap singer Bassam Khalaf who calls himself “Arabic Assassin”.
Bassam Khalaf is a normal Palestinian young man who used to work as a baggage screener in one of the airports of the U.S. capital Washington. Bassam’s job was to ensure that the suitcases contain no explosives or weapons before they are loaded onto the plane. But six months after he began work, the Transportation Security Administration decided to fire him.
“We decided to fire Bassam after it became clear to us that he has a website on the Internet in which he posts anti-U.S. provocative songs,” a US official has said. “Before Bassam was accepted as an employee, we checked his background and found nothing to prevent taking him on. But six months later we discovered that Bassam’s hobby, which is provocative rap songs, does not conform to our security demands. Therefore we fired him”.
Andrea McCauley, spokeswoman for the TSA's regional office in Dallas, added: “We were shocked by the lyrics that Bassam's songs. In one of those songs he says he supports the Talaban movement and that he understands the motives behind the September 11 incidents. Such words raised our concern and we fired Bassam and turned over his file to the Federal authorities who will decide whether there are grounds for a judicial enquiry”.
For his part, Bassam said: “I fail to understand why all the fuss. I think they fired me because I am of Palestinian descent, as the Palestinians are a headache for them”. Added Bassam: “The songs that I sing are meant to attract people’s attention and gain publicity in the world of music”.
Bassam, 21, went on to say: “I will work on producing a CD entitled ‘Terror Alert’ and I hope people like it, for it includes lyrics that make a mockery of what is now happening in the world. It includes no provocation against America or encouragement of terrorism which no person favors”.
Bassam concluded by saying that there are rap singers such as Eminem, who sang songs with the words: “There is no tower that is too high, no plane that I can’t learn how to fly, to get to any tower”. Asks Bassam: “Why is it different treatment when it became a case of a Palestinian rap singer?!”
