Mohammed Assaf

Mohammed Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf (; born 1 September 1989) is a Palestinian pop singer well known for being the winner of the second season of Arab Idol, broadcast by the MBC network. His victory received worldwide coverage from the media and was welcomed with joy by the Arab world. In 2013, Assaf was named a goodwill ambassador for peace by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He was also named ambassador of culture and arts by the Palestinian government and was offered a position with "diplomatic standing" by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Assaf's story is the basis of the 2015 film The Idol, directed by Hany Abu-Assad. After Arab Idol, Assaf has gone on to enjoy huge popularity in the Arab World and the Arab diaspora and has released two albums and a great number of singles and collaborations. Most of his music is sung in the Iraqi and Gulf dialects, his most famous song is "Ana Dammi Falastini" which means "my blood is Palestinian" and is a cover of a traditional Palestinian song.

Life Assaf was born in Misrata, Libya, to Palestinian parents. The family of his mother Intisar, a mathematics teacher, hailed from the village of Bayt Daras and his father's family was from Beersheba, both of which areas were seized and depopulated by the nascent IDF in 1948. He has five siblings. The family lived in Misrata until Assaf was four years old. Then they moved to the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in Gaza, where he grew up and attended an UNRWA elementary school. He entered the public view in 2000 during a popular local television program where he called in and sang a nationalist song to the host's praise. Afterward, he was frequently offered contracts with local record companies.

He was given the nickname Asaroukh ("The Rocket") by Lebanese singer and Arab Idol judge Ragheb Alama. Assaf was acclaimed by the jury and the public. His voice and appearance have drawn comparisons to Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez, which has garnered Assaf both fame and controversy. Fans merged part of Hafez's name with Assaf's, as in Assaf Hilm Falastine ("Assaf Palestine’s Dream"). Assaf's final performance was his own song that was well known before his rise to fame, "Ali al-kuffiyeh" ("Raise The Kuffiyeh"), a Palestinian song that called on Palestinians to raise their kuffiyehs (a traditional Arab headdress that has become a Palestinian nationalist symbol) and to unite, On 22 June, Assaf was declared the winner of Arab Idol, winning the most votes and coming ahead of two other competitors, Ahmed Gamal and Farah Youssef, from Egypt and Syria, respectively. Massive celebrations by Palestinians ensued after the announcement of his victory, including festivities held on the streets of Gaza City, East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Khan Yunis, Nazareth, Lebanon and Jordan, And when his professional career as an artist began after the title of Arab Idol, he was accompanied by Awtar Band led by The Maestro Yacoub Al-Atrash in Arab and international festivals since then.

Performances in Arab Idol Performances during the auditions Casting (Cairo): "Safini Mara" by Abdel Halim Hafez Casting Beirut (Group audition) : "Ana Elli Alayki Mishtaq" by Joseph Sakr Casting Beirut:" Ala Babi Waef Amarin" by Melhem Barakat

Performances during the primes Top 27: Ya Sghiri – Melhem Zein 1st Prime: Aala Hisb Oudad – Abdel Halim Hafez 2nd Prime: Ya Reit – Ragheb Alama 3rd Prime: Gatalouni Oyoun Essoud – Wadih El Safi 4th Prime: El Zina Labsat Khalkhalaha – Samir Yazbek 5th Prime: Aanabi – Karem Mahmoud 6th Prime: Wa Baad Kentom – Mohammed Abdu 7th Prime: Sawt El Heda – Assi El Helani 8th Prime: Kol Da Kan Leih – Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Nemshi wa Nemshi – Saber Rebaï Final: Ya Ain Ala Saber – Wadih El Safi and Lena Allah – Mohammed Abdu and "Aali El Kuffiyeh" – Mohammed Assaf*

International attention

Assaf has gained widespread popularity throughout the Arab world and among fellow Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the diaspora through his performance of well-known Arabic love songs and patriotic hymns for the Palestinian cause. Mohammed Assaf sang in English during one of the live shows of Arab Idol, performing the song "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.

Post his widely expected win, Al Jazeera English interviewed him in Doha, Qatar, during his tour, and dedicated an entire episode of the programme Inside Story detailing Assaf's journey through Arab Idol. He was described as "the wedding singer from Gaza who was brought up in a refugee camp, to become an international star and a Palestinian hero."

In May 2023, his 2015 Track 'Ana Dammi Falastini' (My Blood is Palestinian), was removed from Streaming Platforms Spotify and Apple Music which led to a huge public uproar online. Assaf told The New Arab's Arabic-language site that he received an email from Spotify saying his song "Ana Dammi Falastini" was removed under the pretence of "inciting against Israel." A Spotify representative responded to this with a statement regarding the deleted song: “The removal of some of Mohammed Assaf’s content was not determined by Spotify, but rather by the distributor. We anticipate its return in the near future and apologise for any inconvenience caused.” The song was back on Spotify after a couple of days.

Political impact While Assaf has normally avoided politics on the show, he has stated "I can't differentiate between my art and my patriotic attitude." Assaf condemned the ongoing Israeli occupation of West Bank and the poor living conditions in the Gaza Strip. He also stated that Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi's long-term hunger strike protest had inspired him. He frequently performed donning the checkered keffiyeh popularly associated with Palestinian nationalism.

Some Palestinian politicians have shown their support for the singer who has been creating a sense of unity among Palestinians, regardless of differing political beliefs. Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, called on all Palestinians to support Assaf. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had also called for Palestinians everywhere, including the diaspora, to vote for Assaf.

Although prior to his participation in Arab Idol, Assaf stated he had been briefly detained by the security forces of the conservative Hamas party and paramilitary group—which maintains de facto control over Gaza—on over 20 different occasions in an effort to dissuade him from singing,

Film The Idol The Idol is a 2015 Palestinian drama film and biopic about Assaf's life, directed by Hany Abu-Assad. It was shown in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The Idol was partially filmed on location in Gaza, the first feature film to be shot there in decades, with further filmings in Jenin, Amman, Beirut and Cairo. The Idol was produced in association with the Doha Film Institute and the support of the Netherlands Film Fund.

After Arab Idol Assaf has enjoyed pan-Arab and Arab diaspora popularity internationality engaging in sold-out tours. He released a number of music videos and in 2014, was invited to sing during FIFA World Cup celebrations with "Yalla Yalla". He has also released a number of collaborative singles. His 2017 hit "Baddek Enayah" (in Arabic بدّك عناية) features the Cuban reggaeton group Gente de Zona. Also in 2017, he released "Rani" as a bilingual Arabic and French duet with French Algerian raï singer Faudel and in 2018 collaborated with Lebanese-Canadian Massari in the single "Roll with It".

Along with Wafaa Alnjeili, Badeel Band, and Palestine's first heavy metal band, Osprey V., Mohammed Assaf was one of the artists to take part in the April 2021 "Live for Gaza" livestream concert event that also included Roger Waters, Tom Morello, and Brian Eno.

Personal life Assaf married the 28-year-old Reem Ouda in an intimate wedding on August 8, 2020. Only family and handful of friends attended. Ouda is a Palestinian-Danish woman who lived with her family in Saudi Arabia for a few years, before moving to Denmark after her father died.

Discography

Albums 2014: Assaf 2017: Ma Wahshnak 2021: Qesas min Flistin

Singles and music videos 2014: "Ya Halali Ya Mali" 2015: "Aywa Ha Ghanni" 2015: "Dammi Falastini" 2016: "Seyouf El Ezz" 2017: "Baddek Enayah" (feat. Gente de Zona) 2017: "Rani" (with Faudel) 2018: "Roll with It" (with Massari) 2019: "Kermalak Enta" 2020: "Shhalhalawa" 2020: "Dalaa Dalouna" 2020: "Salam Allah" 2020: "Filastin 'int alruwh" 2020: "Al Hayat" 2021: "Mraytak" 2021: "Al Hara" 2021: "Bahrek Gaza" 2021: "Salute to Al Quds" 2021: "Ya Banat Bladna" 2023: "Ben Jeddah" 2024: "Salam Lighaza" 2026: "Maskara" (with Saint Levant)