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| Iraq |
| Michigan-raised DJ in Iraq tweaks IS with Detroit flavor |
| 2016-02-08 |
| Erbil, Kurdistan -- Like many morning radio personalities, Noor Matti pokes fun at people in the headlines. But unlike the Detroit disc jockeys he grew up listening to, he knows his on-air antics could get him killed. Matti, a Chaldean, often uses his time on the air to needle Islamic extremists ‐ a dangerous proposition since his station is in Iraq, less than 50 miles from Mosul, the capital of the Islamic State group, often referred to as IS or ISIS. "Music is a big middle finger to ISIS," said Matti, who hosts "The Breakfast Club," a Detroit-themed show that airs from 8-10 a.m. "With music, you can talk about love, or whatever else is on your mind, and you can do it free of being threatened. And ISIS hates that. When ISIS invaded Mosul (in June 2014), they took all the musical instruments into the city center and burned them. Every piano; every guitar; every drum set. Every CD. "That, of course, is the core of their principle: believing people don't have the right to express themselves. The Islamic State expresses everything for you." "Our signal reaches them. They hear us. I wouldn't say I'm scared, although I know the threat is there. I know someone is probably planning to come get me. I don't think about it. If something's going to happen, it's going to happen." |
| Posted by:Anguper Hupomosing9418 |