1. Mohammed Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf is a Palestinian pop singer well known for being the winner of the second season of Arab Idol, broadcast by the MBC network.
23 Facts About Mohammed Assaf
1. 2.
Mohammed Assaf's victory received worldwide coverage from the media and was welcomed with joy by Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world.
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In 2013, Assaf was named a goodwill ambassador for peace by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
4.
Mohammed Assaf was named ambassador of culture and arts by the Palestinian government and was offered a position with "diplomatic standing" by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Mohammed Assaf's story is the basis of the 2015 film The Idol, directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
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The family lived in Misrata until Mohammed Assaf was four years old.
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Two of Mohammed Assaf's siblings have been involved in performing live music.
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Mohammed Assaf did not have professional training as a singer; he started his career singing at weddings and other private events.
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Mohammed Assaf 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.
10.
Mohammed Assaf travelled from Gaza Strip to Egypt to audition for Arab Idol.
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Mohammed Assaf was given the nickname Asaroukh by Lebanese singer and Arab Idol judge Ragheb Alama.
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Mohammed 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.
13.
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.
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The buzz Mohammed Assaf created has reached the United States, Europe, and recently other parts of Asia due to articles posted by American-based news websites such as Wet Paint, Voice of America, The Japan Times, the CNN news website CNN International, as well as European-based news sites such as Germany's Frankfurter Rundschau.
15.
The Guardian published an article titled "Arab Idol favourite Mohammed Assaf carries hopes of Palestinians into final".
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Mohammed Assaf stated that Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi's long-term hunger strike protest had inspired him.
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Mohammed Assaf frequently performed donning the checkered keffiyeh popularly associated with Palestinian nationalism.
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Mohammed Assaf is highly popular in the Palestinian territories, where the Washington Post notes that the "streets of Gaza empty out" when the show goes on air on Fridays and Saturdays.
19.
The Idol is a 2015 Palestinian drama film and biopic about Mohammed Assaf's life, directed by Hany Abu-Assad.
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Mohammed Assaf has enjoyed pan-Arab and Arab diaspora popularity internationality engaging in sold-out tours.
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Mohammed Assaf released a number of music videos and in 2014, was invited to sing during FIFA World Cup celebrations with "Yalla Yalla".
22.
Mohammed Assaf's 2017 hit "Baddek Enayah" features the Cuban reggaeton group Gente de Zona.
23.
Mohammed Assaf married the 28-year-old Reem Ouda in an intimate wedding on August 8,2020.