By releasing the names of those behind its songs, the Islamic State answered a very important question about Abu Hajar al-Hadrami / Ghaleb Ahmad Baqa’iti, the Yemeni known singer / Munshed.

The Islamic State IS does not consider Abu Hajar al-Hadrami as one of its own singers / Munsheds like it does see Abu Hamza or Khilad al-Qahtani.

During his life time, Abu Hajar al-Hadrami had travelled to many places amongst which was Syria, where he met many groups, amongst which was the Islamic State. This meeting and videos of him singing along Maher Mish’al and other known Islamic State members, made people think that he was really a member of the Islamic State. There were many claims online that he had sworn al-Bay’ah to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi the leader of the Islamic State then.

Abu Hajar al-Hadrami even have a song entitled bu Bakr ya Baghdadi.

Now, when his name is not being mentioned on the audio platforms run by the Islamic State or its supporters, one is forced to trace why he is not being mentioned after all of the media claims of him doing so? Why after all of this publicity Abu Hajar al-Hadrami is not considered one of those responsible for the top Nasheeds of the Islamic State IS, or its previous banner: the Islamic State of al-Iraq wa-al-Sham ISIS.

Here are some notes on why the Islamic State would distance itself from Abu Hajar al-Hadrami:

1- Abu Hajar al-Hadrami was killed in al-Yemen by a drone strike while in the port of al-Mukalla, the city where he was born in 1986. He was not killed in Syria or al-Iraq, although he was there not too long ago as evidenced by the infamous Ya-Asib al-Ra’s Wennak video singing with Maher Misha’al and others. It looked that he was in Syria as a tour to see what is going on.

2- It was al-Qa’eda and not is rival the Islamic State that spoke about Abu Hajar al-Hadrami as one of its own after his death. Mu’assasat al-Malahem مؤسسة الملاحم issued a video titled Asrar wa-Akhtar wa-Raheel Akhyar أسرار وأخطار ورحيل أخيار in 2018. In the Isdar a spy confessed into giving information about Abu Hajar al-Hadram that led to drone strike. On the other hand, the Islamic State had released a special video to eulogize Maher Mish’al after his death!

3- Abu Hajar al-Hadrami sang the same song/ Nasheed for al-Nusra and the Islamic State. Salami Ala al-Dawla سلامي على الدولة is his song celebrating the Islamic State and Salami Ala al-Nusra سلامي على النصرة is the one dedicated to al-Nusra. (Note there is also a version of this Nasheed dedicated to Taliban: Salami ….Taliban)

4- Abu Hajar al-Hadrami sang for the Syrian anti Assad movement. He is celebrated by the movement, which as everyone knows, does not have an overall good relations with the Islamic State or its previous brand the Islamic State of al-Iraq wa-al-Sham. His songs were used in videos by some Syrian opposition groups something that would anger the Islamic State of course, that would not let anyone use its songs/ Nasheeds.

5- Abu Hajar al-Hadrami had a song/nasheed derived from a famous poem by the secular Palestinian world known poet Mahmud Darwish. Of course, the Islamic State and its brand of ideology would not take the lyrics of a well known secular poet and make it into a Nasheed. The Islamic State’s produced Nasheeds have certain aspects in its lyrics that has to be met.

To be continued.