ACTIVISM
"Fly with Us"
In 2007, Sonic Ashtanga released a song, “Fly with Us”; in it, Imran sings,
“Where does it say Moses says to kill?
Where does it say Jesus says to kill?
Where doers it say Allah said to kill?”
These lyrics caused a Fatwa to be issued against Imran, and even caused one Mullah to hold a press conference in Pakistan to explain exactly where it says in the Koran to kill. Another Mullah issued a Fatwa against Prince Imran for blasphemy, with orders to capture and kill him. After performing “Fly with Us” a cappella during a visit to Kashmir after the massive earthquake that devastated the region on October 8th, 2005 at the invitation of the Pakistan Army and the United Nations, Prince Imran was abducted at gunpoint off the street and tossed into a van along with his bodyguard.
He was told he could have the last meal of his choice, and that it would be made for him prior to his execution. He was being executed, he was told, because of his work against Allah and the Muslim religion, and they repeatedly referenced his song, “Fly with Us.” The abductors were Jamat-ul-Dawa, and they believed Imran to be an Italian Prince.
Fortunately, Prince Imran’s bloodline saved him and his bodyguard from execution. Once his abductors checked his pedigree through their own verified modality, they let him eat the last meal before releasing him and his guard at the outer perimeter of the Pakistan Army encampment, stationed near the Line of Control between Pakistan and India occupied Kashmir. Later, Imran was extended a “fool proof” security detail by the Government of Pakistan comprised of elite Army Rangers and Anti-Terror Division Police whom protected Prince Imran around the clock. By 2007, Imran wrote the poem “Circle Made of Guns”, which speaks to the longing for a safe World.
“Where does it say Moses says to kill?
Where does it say Jesus says to kill?
Where doers it say Allah said to kill?”
These lyrics caused a Fatwa to be issued against Imran, and even caused one Mullah to hold a press conference in Pakistan to explain exactly where it says in the Koran to kill. Another Mullah issued a Fatwa against Prince Imran for blasphemy, with orders to capture and kill him. After performing “Fly with Us” a cappella during a visit to Kashmir after the massive earthquake that devastated the region on October 8th, 2005 at the invitation of the Pakistan Army and the United Nations, Prince Imran was abducted at gunpoint off the street and tossed into a van along with his bodyguard.
He was told he could have the last meal of his choice, and that it would be made for him prior to his execution. He was being executed, he was told, because of his work against Allah and the Muslim religion, and they repeatedly referenced his song, “Fly with Us.” The abductors were Jamat-ul-Dawa, and they believed Imran to be an Italian Prince.
Fortunately, Prince Imran’s bloodline saved him and his bodyguard from execution. Once his abductors checked his pedigree through their own verified modality, they let him eat the last meal before releasing him and his guard at the outer perimeter of the Pakistan Army encampment, stationed near the Line of Control between Pakistan and India occupied Kashmir. Later, Imran was extended a “fool proof” security detail by the Government of Pakistan comprised of elite Army Rangers and Anti-Terror Division Police whom protected Prince Imran around the clock. By 2007, Imran wrote the poem “Circle Made of Guns”, which speaks to the longing for a safe World.
Hammarah Ghar
In early November, Prince Imran traveled to Karachi to record and produce what has become Sonic Ashtanga’s anti-extremist anthem, Hammarah Ghar (Our Home). The Pakistan ISI approved a conflict zone camera crew to enter into refugee camps to document the immediate appeal the song was having amongst the refugees.
Upon completion of the song in mid November of 2009, it was broadcast throughout Pakistan on civilian radio stations, as well as the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan through sympathetic contacts within the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI). As the camera crew collected footage, Geo Television, Pakistan’s largest television network, edited this with performance footage of Prince Imran, Wajji of the Sufi-Pop super-group Raeth, and renown Sufi flutist Rahat Ali Khan. This video would go on to experience hourly play on MTV Pakistan and Geo Channels well into the summer of 2011.
On December 16, 2015 the video was re-released in honor of the children slain in the Army Public School (APS) massacre of December 16, 2014. The video and song have now ignited a media phenomenon, being covered not only in the entertainment sections, but rather as a hard news story. This development has meant that it has been covered on most Pakistani news outlets.
The song Hammarah Ghar has become the anti-Islamist anthem of Pakistan. Indeed, on April 30th, 2017, Pakistan’s Ambassador presented Imran with the Safir-i-Pakistan (Ambassador of Pakistan) award in recognition of the impact of Hammarah Ghar, the song.
Upon completion of the song in mid November of 2009, it was broadcast throughout Pakistan on civilian radio stations, as well as the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan through sympathetic contacts within the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI). As the camera crew collected footage, Geo Television, Pakistan’s largest television network, edited this with performance footage of Prince Imran, Wajji of the Sufi-Pop super-group Raeth, and renown Sufi flutist Rahat Ali Khan. This video would go on to experience hourly play on MTV Pakistan and Geo Channels well into the summer of 2011.
On December 16, 2015 the video was re-released in honor of the children slain in the Army Public School (APS) massacre of December 16, 2014. The video and song have now ignited a media phenomenon, being covered not only in the entertainment sections, but rather as a hard news story. This development has meant that it has been covered on most Pakistani news outlets.
The song Hammarah Ghar has become the anti-Islamist anthem of Pakistan. Indeed, on April 30th, 2017, Pakistan’s Ambassador presented Imran with the Safir-i-Pakistan (Ambassador of Pakistan) award in recognition of the impact of Hammarah Ghar, the song.
Karachi Kids
Imran’s in-depth investigation as part of a yet-to- be-released documentary titled the “Karachi Kids,” led him to meet two American born kids of parents of Pakistani origin who were getting an ‘education’ in a Pakistani madrassa. Instead of the boys getting the peaceful Islamic education people were led to believe, they were actually getting radicalized. Prince Imran created a documentary showing the steady progression of the radical mindset the two American-born kids were unwittingly learning.
He then pursued additional support, ultimately getting a US Congressman involved in negotiating with the President of Pakistan to arrange the release of these and other American boys from relevant radicalizing madrassas. Prince Imran paid for the airfare and other transportation costs for the boys to be brought back to the United States.
The discovery of the two potentially highly dangerous terrorists caused a stir in the Homeland Security circles, especially so in the media. Virtually every major US television network, and several of the most listened to radio talk show hosts, interviewed Prince Imran.
He then pursued additional support, ultimately getting a US Congressman involved in negotiating with the President of Pakistan to arrange the release of these and other American boys from relevant radicalizing madrassas. Prince Imran paid for the airfare and other transportation costs for the boys to be brought back to the United States.
The discovery of the two potentially highly dangerous terrorists caused a stir in the Homeland Security circles, especially so in the media. Virtually every major US television network, and several of the most listened to radio talk show hosts, interviewed Prince Imran.