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Iran Urges Iraqis to "Fight the Americans" on Hate Radio Station
By Nick Grace
April 21, 2003
As Operation Iraqi Freedom transitions into a humanitarian nation-building endeavor, the propaganda war over the airwaves has taken a sinister turn with the appearance of an Iranian-sponsored "hate" radio station that calls for attacks on American troops, rebellion against the planned interim administration and anti-Israel programming.
Between traditional Shi'ite music and "analysis" that the U.S.-led coalition seeks to replace the regime of Saddam Hussein with "a gardener," the Voice of Mujahideen (Sawt al-Mujahideen) on April 18 attempted to incite violence against members of the U.S. military, according to Cairo-based monitor Tarek Zeidan. "My dear Iraqi brothers," an announcer shouted, "Fight those unbelievers! Fight the Americans! Allah Akbar!" Zeidan heard the calls for violence at 1635 GMT.
The station, BBC Monitoring (BBCM) reports, also broadcasts body counts of dead and wounded coalition soldiers and has led its news program with news reports on American casualties. During its April 17 program the station reported the death of three U.S. soldiers searching an ammunition depot and news of clashes between coalition forces that resulted in "a number of (Iraqis) killed." An announcer later encouraged listeners to oppose the "hirelings, liars, hypocrites, and traitors... Enough bitterness and defeats Let us not continue to alienate our rights... Let us stop being slain and skinned like sheep and to die unsung and unlamented."
The Voice of Mujahideen promotes the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shi'ite group known for its strong ties with Tehran that refuses to participate with the coalition in reshaping the Iraqi political landscape. Positive reports about SCIRI, in fact, dominate the station's programming and speeches by and interviews with members of the organization are often broadcast. Many of the news items broadcast, BBCM notes, mirror the content of the SCIRI news Web site http://www.majlesaala.com.
SCIRI, which has been courted by Washington to play a role in Iraq's future, recently boycotted talks among opposition groups mediated by the U.S. and U.K. in the Iraqi city of Ur on April 15. "We cannot be part of a process which is under an American general," a SCIRI spokesman referring to retired General Jay Garner, who will head the interim administration, told Reuters.
The radio station, which broadcasts on 720 kHz - a frequency known to have been used by Iranian state radio - between 1400 and 1800 GMT also airs anti-Israel propaganda. One such song that has aired includes the lyrics "Our stones will be from hell and our faith will restore to us our land, the land of Palestine. The rights will be restored to their owners, the territory belongs to the sincere." News of a Palestinian "martyred by Zionist bullets" in the Gaza Strip and claims that "Zionist Rabbis" are encouraging Israeli troops to pray in Western Euphrates, which could refer to Iraqi, Syrian or Turkish sovereign territory, have also been also broadcast.
The broadcasts appear to have replaced the Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which was one of two stations run by SCIRI and transmitted by Tehran. The Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, Clandestine Radio Watch reported on March 25, blamed both Saddam Hussein and the U.S. for the military conflict and sought to promote an Islamic government based in the Iranian model. Its broadcasts have not been heard in approximately two weeks. The Voice of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which recently broadcast on 6135, 7100 and 9535 kHz between 0330 and 0530 GMT, was the subject of a radio jamming campaign by Saudi Arabia. Iran and Saudi Arabia, according to Iran expert Rob Sobhani of Georgetown University during an appearance on Foxnews April 19, are vying for influence of internal Iraqi politics.
The new radio station joins Resistance TV, an Iranian outlet hastily organized to counter the coalition's Towards Freedom television broadcasts. BBCM reported on April 15 that Resistance TV's first program was inaugurated by SCIRI spiritual leader Ayatollah Hakim. The content and nature of the television programs are unknown.
What is clear, however, is the effort Tehran is making to weaken the position of the coalition and the significance of the planned interim administration and pro-democracy politicians, such as Achmad Chalabi and Ayad Allawi, who have returned to Baghdad after years of exile. The existence of the hate radio broadcasts, which would not be broadcast from Iran without approval from the country's leadership, suggest that Tehran will use SCIRI, which has its own armed guerilla contingent, to maintain the instability in Iraq and possibly to engage coalition forces in a protracted conflict with potentially high American and civilian casualties.
Indigenous clandestine radio broadcasts, meanwhile, continue in Northern Iraq. Clandestine Radio Watch has noted the following stations and frequencies active in the 0300-0500 GMT time frame:
3900.0v kHz Voice of the Iraqi People (Iraqi Communist Party)
3900.0v kHz Radio Freedom (Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan)
4025.0v kHz Voice of the People of Kurdistan (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan)
4090.0 kHz Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan (Kurdistan Democratic Party)
4245.4 kHz Voice of Kurdistan Toilers (Kurdistan Toilers Party)
4370.8 kHz Voice of Communist Party of Iran (KOMALA)
4380.9 kHz Voice of Communist Party of Iran (KOMALA)
4610.0 kHz Voice of Komala (Revolutionary Organization of Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan)
4615.0 kHz Voice of Komala (Revolutionary Organization of Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan)
The Voice of the Communist Party of Iran and Voice of Komala, which are in opposition with Tehran, are heavily jammed by Iranian "bubble" transmitters.
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