“You are a terrorist.”
The line lingers at the end of DAM’s impassioned rap; angry, hurt but also dangerously violent. DAM, meaning “immortal” in Arabic and “blood” in Hebrew, is a Palestinian hip-hop trio who recently performed at Princeton University. The group’s breakout single, “Min Irhabi” (“Who’s the Terrorist?”), which amassed over a million downloads in its first month, justifies terrorism and child violence with heartbreaking frustration.
DAM, an Arab-Israeli rap group based in the Arab-Jewish city of Lod, Israel, describes itself as working toward “opportunities that have otherwise been denied to Palestinian citizens of Israel.” “Min Irhabi” seems to be an outcry of frustration, responding to the continued tension between the State of Israel and its Palestinian residents.
However, not all responses are acceptable. In many cases, this frustration has reformed into terrorism. Since its founding, Israel has had to cope with the presence of “suicide bombers” — men, women and even teenagers who, carrying explosives under their clothing, enter heavily populated civilian areas and self-destruct, killing those in their immediate proximity. This misdirected violence has needlessly ended thousands of lives. In “Min Irhabi,” DAM attempts to assign legitimacy to these suicide-bomber attacks and seeks to strip them of their “terrorist” stigma.
“How can I be a terrorist if I live in my homeland?”
The question pulses throughout “Min Irhabi,” repeatedly unanswered. But this question is not rhetorical. An act of terror is an act of terror, regardless of rationalization. Terrorism is violence and coercion for political purposes. It is bombs on buses and in cafes, and it is death for the sake of spectacle. Explosions destroy past, present and future.
DAM continues, “My blood is not cheap, and I’ll defend myself.”
Yet terrorism is not the correct mode of self-defense. Horrific violence and opposition to peace are unacceptable methodologies. Political change should not result from the creation and consumption of fear.
And two weeks ago, the University sponsored DAM’s appearance on campus. University departments such as the Lewis Center for the Arts, the Davis International Center and the Near Eastern Studies department joined the Edward W. Said Memorial Lecture Fund, the Princeton Committee on Palestine and other student groups in funding this event. The group performed on April 1 in Frist Campus Center and spoke after a screening of its documentary on April 2.
“Want to hear some awesome music and meet an internationally acclaimed hip-hop group!?”
The advertising was benign, if not trendy. Emails were sent out and flyers distributed, advertising an up-and-coming hip-hop trio from the Middle East.
The Lewis Center even directly described “Min Irhabi” on its website as “a cult anthem among Arab youth” and an important piece of art within the Middle East. Although these statements sanitize DAM’s image, perhaps the Lewis Center’s description is accurate. Through its art, this group has gained the power to influence and incite Arab youth.
DAM asks, “Why am I a terrorist? Because I'm not indifferent?”
But there is an indifference that inheres in terrorism’s nihilism. In stating: “I'm not against peace; peace is against me,” DAM denotes the violence of suicide bombings as warranted. “You [Israel] raped the Arab soul,” it declares, “and it was impregnated and gave birth to a child called ‘terror attack.’” Through this statement, DAM implies a cause and effect relationship between the Israeli government and the responding terrorism. It uses graphic imagery to communicate the message that suicide bombs and other acts of terror are not only appropriate responses to the Israeli government but also that they are a direct, unavoidable consequence.
However, human decisions cannot be seen as unavoidable. To legitimize terror rejects hope and inhibits the potential for hope’s actualization. Terrorism is a regression to violence and blame, and this is a validation of such regression. DAM reacts to the pain of the Palestinians by inciting further pain.
As an institution devoted to advanced study of the international community, Princeton has developed countless programs devoted to effecting positive social change. Terrorism is an antithesis of the educated and constructive response to conflict.
Princeton should not have been the patron of such a program.
Sarah Jacobs is a freshman from Newton, Mass. She can be reached at sj8@princeton.edu. Rachel Newman is a freshman from Paramus, N.J. She can be reached at rpnewman@princeton.edu.
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