Mohammed Assaf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mohammed Assaf
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| محمد عساف | |
Assaf in 2012
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Mohammad Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf
محمد جبر عبدالرحمن عساف 1 September 1990 Misrata, Libya
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| Nationality | Libyan, Palestinian |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Winner of the Arab Idol |
| Spouse(s) |
Reem Ouda
(m. 2020) |
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Mohammad Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf (Arabic: محمد جبر عبدالرحمن عساف; born 1 September 1990) is a Palestinian pop singer. He became famous after winning the second season of Arab Idol, a popular TV show. His win was a big deal around the world and brought a lot of joy to Palestinians and other Arab countries.
In 2013, Assaf was chosen as a goodwill ambassador for peace by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The Palestinian government also named him an ambassador of culture and arts. Even the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, offered him a special job with "diplomatic standing." Mohammad Assaf's life story inspired the 2015 movie The Idol. After Arab Idol, Assaf became very popular and has released many songs and two albums. He often sings in Iraqi and Gulf Arabic styles. His most famous song is "Damy Falastiny," which means "My Blood is Palestinian."
Contents
Early Life
Mohammad Assaf was born in Misrata, Libya. His parents were Palestinian. His mother, Intisar, was a math teacher. Her family came from a village called Bayt Daras. His father's family was from Beersheba. Both these areas were taken over in 1948.
Assaf has five brothers and sisters. His family lived in Misrata until he was four years old. Then, they moved to the Khan Yunis Refugee Camp in Gaza. He grew up there and went to an UNRWA elementary school.
Two of Assaf's siblings also performed music. His mother said that Assaf started singing when he was only five. She noted he "had a voice of someone who was much, much older." Before Arab Idol, he studied media and public relations at Gaza City's Palestine University. Assaf did not have professional singing lessons. He started his career by singing at weddings and other private events. He first became known in 2000 on a local TV show. He called in and sang a patriotic song, which the host loved. After that, local music companies often offered him contracts. He even sang at an event in Gaza that the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat attended.
Becoming Arab Idol
Mohammad Assaf traveled from Gaza to Egypt to try out for Arab Idol. It took him two days to reach Egypt by car. This was because of problems at the border. He had to convince Egyptian security to let him leave Gaza.
When he finally got to the hotel where auditions were held, the doors were closed. They were not accepting any more people. So, he jumped over the wall! After getting inside, he still couldn't get a number to audition. He sat sadly in the hall with other contestants. He started singing to himself. Another Palestinian contestant, Ramadan Abu Nahel, heard him. Ramadan was waiting to audition. He gave Assaf his own number. He said, "I know I won't reach the finals but you will."
Lebanese singer and Arab Idol judge Ragheb Alama gave Assaf the nickname Asaroukh ("The Rocket"). The judges and the public loved Assaf. His voice and look reminded many people of the famous Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez. This brought Assaf both fame and some debate. Fans even combined parts of Hafez's name with Assaf's. They called him Assaf Hilm Falastine ("Assaf Palestine’s Dream").
Assaf's final performance was his own song, "Ali al-kuffiyeh" ("Raise The Kuffiyeh"). This song was well-known before he became famous. It's a Palestinian song that asks Palestinians to raise their kuffiyehs. A kuffiyeh is a traditional Arab headscarf that has become a Palestinian symbol. The song called for unity among Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians watched his performance.
On June 22, Mohammad Assaf was announced the winner of Arab Idol. He received the most votes. He won against two other singers, Ahmed Gamal from Egypt and Farah Youssef from Syria. Huge celebrations happened after his victory. People celebrated in Gaza City, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Khan Yunis, Nazareth, Lebanon, and Jordan. After winning, he started his professional music career. He often performs with the Awtar Band, led by Maestro Yacoub Al-Atrash.
Performances in Arab Idol
- Audition Performances
- 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
- Live Show Performances
- 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, Lena Allah – Mohammed Abdu, and "Aali El Kuffiyeh" – Mohammed Assaf
Global Attention
Assaf became very popular across the Arab world. He was also loved by Palestinians everywhere, including those in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian communities living abroad. He sang famous Arabic love songs and patriotic songs about the Palestinian cause. His family, neighbors, and Palestinians waited eagerly for his performances every Friday night.
Jamal Abu Qumsan, a board member of the Gaza Association for Culture and Arts, said Assaf "has connected with Palestinians." He did this by singing classic Arabic songs that are not about war or struggle. For many, this music offers a feeling of calm. This is important because of the ongoing conflict with Israel and issues within Palestine. Mohammad Assaf even sang in English during one Arab Idol live show. He performed "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.
News about Assaf reached the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia. News websites like Wet Paint, Voice of America, The Japan Times, and CNN International wrote about him. European news sites like Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau also covered his story. The Guardian published an article titled "Arab Idol favourite Mohammed Assaf carries hopes of Palestinians into final."
After his big win, Al Jazeera English interviewed him in Doha, Qatar. They even dedicated a whole episode of their show Inside Story to his journey. He was called "the wedding singer from Gaza who grew up in a refugee camp, to become an international star and a Palestinian hero."
In May 2023, his 2015 song "Ana Dammi Falastini" (My Blood is Palestinian) was removed from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This caused a big reaction online. Assaf told The New Arab that Spotify said his song was removed for "inciting against Israel." A Spotify representative later said the song's removal was decided by its music distributor, not Spotify. They said they expected it to return soon. The song was back on Spotify after a few days.
His Impact
While Assaf usually avoided politics on the show, he said, "I can't separate my art from my patriotic feelings." Assaf has spoken about the Israeli presence in the West Bank. He also talked about the difficult living conditions in the Gaza Strip. He mentioned that the long hunger strike of Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi inspired him. He often wore the checkered keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian identity, when he performed.
He is very popular in the Palestinian areas. The Washington Post noted that the "streets of Gaza empty out" when his show was on. Large posters of Assaf were put up on homes and shops across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Assaf became a source of pride. He brought Palestinians together in a way that political groups had not been able to.
Some Palestinian politicians supported him. They saw him as someone who created unity among Palestinians, no matter their political views. Salam Fayyad, a former Palestinian Prime Minister, asked all Palestinians to support Assaf. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also asked Palestinians everywhere, including those living abroad, to vote for Assaf.
Before Arab Idol, Assaf said he had been briefly held by the security forces of the Hamas party more than 20 times. They tried to stop him from singing. However, Hamas did not stop Palestinians from supporting Assaf or watching the show. A Hamas member of parliament in Gaza, Yahya Mousa, even praised Assaf. He called him the "ambassador for Palestinian art."
The Film The Idol
The Idol is a 2015 Palestinian drama film. It was directed by Hany Abu-Assad. The movie was shown at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Parts of The Idol were filmed in Gaza. This was the first feature film shot there in many years. Other parts were filmed in Jenin, Amman, Beirut, and Cairo. The film was made with help from the Doha Film Institute and the Netherlands Film Fund. The Idol was chosen as Palestine's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
After Arab Idol
After winning Arab Idol, Assaf became popular across the Arab world and among Arabs living abroad. He had many sold-out tours. He released several music videos. In 2014, he was invited to sing "Yalla Yalla" during FIFA World Cup celebrations. He has also released many songs with other artists. 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 song in both Arabic and French with French Algerian raï singer Faudel. In 2018, he worked with Lebanese-Canadian Massari on the song "Roll with It."
Personal Life
Assaf married Reem Ouda on August 8, 2020. It was a small wedding with only family and a few friends. Reem Ouda is a Palestinian-Danish woman. She lived with her family in Saudi Arabia for a few years. After her father passed away, she moved to Denmark.
Discography
Albums
- 2014: Assaf (Arabic: عساف)
- 2017: Ma Wahshnak (Arabic: ما وحشناك)
- 2021: Qesas min Flistin (Arabic: قصص من فلسطين)
Singles and Music Videos
- 2014: "Ya Halali Ya Mali" (Arabic: يا حلالي يا مالي)
- 2015: "Aywa Ha Ghanni" (Arabic: ايوه هغني)
- 2015: "Dammi Falastini" (Arabic: دامي فلسطين)
- 2016: "Seyouf El Ezz" (Arabic: سيوف العز)
- 2017: "Baddek Enayah" (feat. Gente de Zona) (Arabic: بدّك عناية)
- 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" (Arabic: بحرك غزة)
- 2021: "Salute to Al Quds"
- 2021: "Ya Banat Bladna" (Arabic: يا بنات بلدنا)
- 2023: "Ben Jeddah"
- 2024: "Salam Lighaza" ( سلامُ لغزة)
See also
In Spanish: Mohammed Assaf para niños
