Having been criticized for bowing to the west in recent times, the Qatar based Al-Jazeera television network has created a record label named al Qaeda Records (aQR) which offered up its first CD this week. The release is a benefit compilation disc entitled "Friends of the Hijackers" and includes some of aQR's featured artists, all of whom have albums scheduled for release in the coming months.

Critics are concerned that the respected journalistic entity

Advertising for the CD started last month

might lose much, if not all, of it's objectivity if it is also tied to the entertainment industry. Most media experts agree that an arrangement like this would never be seen in the west.

But worldwide, there seem to be many advocates of the move especially since aQR intends to donate 90 percent of profits of the "Friends of the Hijackers" CD to Anti-American terrorist organizations. The other 10 percent will be used to fund the annual "Muslim Extremists Retreat" in Ocean City, New Jersey.

It has been widely reported that the competition to be featured on the CD has been tough. Artists beat each other away with sticks, and even blew each other up, for a shot at recording a single on the project. Cuts on the CD are mostly re-worked 1980's hits including "We Are The World ('s worst nightmare)", "Do They Know it's Ramadan (Kill the World)", "Leaving On A Flaming Jet Plane", "Simply Irresistible (to blow up)", "All I Want to Do, Is Disembody You", "From A Distance (You Can Watch It Burn)", "Let's Hear It For The Boy (Who Blew Up The Market)", "I Just Called to Say, There's a Bomb in the Building", "I'll Tell You What You've Done to Deserve This", "Blow Up the USA", and "The Small Pox/Anthrax Unchained Medley".

Inside sources say that the runaway hit of the CD without a doubt will be the remake of an Elton John song. In "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Fuse" we get an inside look at the dangers of bomb making, performed by Mohammed "Two Fingers" Diab and DJ Kaboom.

"I felt the song was perfect for me, since I'm speaking from experience," said Diab out of the left side of his mouth (the right half having been burned shut). "I want young bomb makers to learn and benefit from my unfortunate experiences. It's a shame to have a bomb go off prematurely. That's a lot of materials that go to waste. And until this CD project, funds were not easy to come by." The upcoming video for the single is rumored to feature similar mishaps by Richard Pryor and Michael Jackson.

The money raised by CD sales will be used to fund future missions, upgrade outdated equipment, repair bomb damage

Bush 'n' Blair's new release will be out in early 2003

at terrorist training camps, as well as to make caves more accommodating for long periods of time.

In related news, the Bush Administration plans to counter the al Qaeda Records release with their own benefit CD, "Bush-n'-Blair". The title track, "Osama, Where Art Thou?" will be released sometime in early 2003.