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January 13, 2006

Video: Beatles' 'Revolution'; Iraqi bloggers on kidnapped reporter Jill Carroll, her late translator

Music video: Beatles' Revolution.

Iraqi bloggers on Jill Carroll, her late translator Alan Enwiyah:
The Christian Science Monitor issues a no-news update today on kidnapped reporter Jill Carroll, pointing to the posts of two Iraqi bloggers that know her -- Treasure of Baghdad and 24 Steps to Liberty, which published the photo of Carroll at right.

Riverbend, the "girl blogger" of Baghdad Burning, knew the interpreter killed during Carroll's abduction. In Thanks for the Music, she writes,

Theysay he didn't die immediately. It is said he lived long enough to talk to police and then he died.

I found out very recently that the interpreter killed was a good friend -- Alan, of Alan's Melody, and I've spent the last two days crying.

Everyone knew him as simply 'Alan', or "Elin" as it is pronounced in Iraqi Arabic. Prior to the war, he owned a music shop in the best area in Baghdad, A'arasat. He sold some Arabic music and instrumental music, but he had his regular customers - those westernized Iraqis who craved foreign music. For those of us who listened to rock, adult alternative, jazz, etc. he had very few rivals.

He sold bootleg CDs, tapes and DVDs. His shop wasn't just a music shop- it was a haven. Some of my happiest moments were while I was walking out of that shop carrying CDs and tapes, full of anticipation for the escape the music provided. He had just about everything from Abba to Marilyn Manson. He could provide anything. All you had to do was go to him with the words,"Alan- I heard a great song on the radio... you have to find it!" And he'd sit there, patiently, asking who sang it? You don't know? Ok -- was it a man or a woman? Fine. Do you remember any of the words? Chances were that he'd already heard it and even knew some of the lyrics....

Unspeakably sad.

Posted by Sheila Lennon at 9:00 AM | Permalink