'The Country is Gone': Alameh, Dib Clash over New Song

Lebanese popstar Ragheb Alameh and a number of artists have slammed remarks voiced by MP Hikmat Dib of the Strong Lebanon bloc as a “Daeshist threat.”

“This person’s head must be chopped off. What does he mean by ‘the country is gone’? What is this irresponsibility!” Dib said in an interview on OTV, referring to Alameh’s new Arabic-language political song ‘Tar el-Balad’, which roughly translates into ‘The Country is Gone’ or ‘The Country is Lost’.

Dib later tweeted: “Ragheb Alameh, keep your songs about love and passion and leave the country alone.”

The lawmaker’s remarks drew a storm of criticism from artists and political figures.

Alameh himself hit back through a series of tweets.

“This was my country before being your country… The whole Lebanese people have crowned me as an artist cherished by their hearts and my name shall remain celebrated for hundreds of years, whereas you’ll be gone with a gesture from the smallest finger of your movement’s chief… I advise you to submit a membership application to Daesh,” the popular star tweeted.

“What a shame! These MPs are shameless!” Alameh added.

“A little MP threatens you because you have sung about a country’s situation. He wants to intimidate you and silence you. This is unprecedented!! Anyway, I will respond with a stronger song and music. We are not criminals to threaten with beheadings. We threaten them with our music,” the veteran singer went on to say.

In an interview with An-Nahar newspaper, Alameh said he has taken legal measures against Dib.

“I have addressed a report to the state prosecutor to ask Speaker Nabih Berri to lift Hikmat Dib’s parliamentary immunity, but will Berri accept to lift his immunity?” Alameh said.

“Should the Speaker accept my request, I will sue Dib on charges of incitement to murder,” the singer explained.

Alameh’s new song urges citizens to raise their voices against the dire political and economic situations in the country.

“It’s about time, people it’s about time we raised our voice high! There’s not much time left, the country is gone, people!” says Alameh in the song which has been turned into a music video.