One of my small guilty pleasures is watching Arab Idol online just because I love Arabic music (yes, even some of the pop stuff). I was so elated yesterday when Mohammed Assaf won. He is a 23 year old wedding singer, with a frighteningly incredible voice, who comes from a very poor family living in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip known as Khan Younis. What makes his story incredible is that he fought against so many physical odds to just get himself into Lebanon to compete. When they announced his name as the winner he sank to the floor with his forehead to the ground & did not get up till a few men came and raised him up. Then, with tears streaming down his face, the first thing he did was raise his right hand holding up the symbol of peace. His profound words later proved he is here for a purpose greater than himself. " A revolution is not just the one carrying the rifle, it is the paintbrush of an artist, the scalpel of a surgeon, the axe of the farmer. Everyone struggles for their cause in the way they see fit. Today I represent Palestine and today I am fighting for a cause through my art and the message I send out." All I could think was that even though we look to our political leaders to create peace, in the end peace is achieved by the efforts of common people such as this 23 year old. Deservingly, after his victory, he was awarded a diplomatic passport and appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador. Hope is created in such moments....
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 17:34:41 +0000
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