'Joke' song about Iraq killings to be recorded

A radio talk-show host is to record and release a song written by a US Marine corporal about killing members of an Iraqi family.

The author, Cpl Joshua Belile, will not sing "Hadji Girl" but he may receive royalties if The Mike Church Show charges for downloads, a spokesman for the show said. The right-wing presenter will sing and release the song on air next week.

The producer, James Parker, said: "We originally wanted Josh to sing the song, but the Marines are kind of gagging him on it."

"Hadji Girl" first surfaced in a four-minute video on the internet. In the clip, Cpl Belile sings about a marine who falls in love with an Iraqi woman and is attacked by her family. The marine kills the family.

The song prompted an outcry from the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Its spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, said that the song was insensitive and glamorised the killing of Iraqi civilians.

Marine Corps officials said that Cpl Belile did not violate military law. Cpl Belile said that his song was a joke and not connected to any wrongdoing.

Alan Grossman, head of the studio producing the song, said it was clearly a joke. "It's harmless. It's a spoof," he added.