Arab Idol favourite Mohammed Assaf carries hopes of Palestinians into final

Gaza refugee becomes symbol of national pride as millions across Arab world prepare to watch last leg of TV talent show

guardian.co.uk, Harriet Sherwood in Jerusalem,  Friday 21 June 2013

Link to video: Arab Idol finalists perform for a Middle Eastern audience of millions

Thousands of Palestinians are expected to crowd into cafes, hotels and open-air venues on Friday evening to watch three finalists compete for the title of Arab Idol, in the fervent hope that a 23-year-old from a Gaza refugee camp is declared the winner on Saturday.

Mohammed Assaf, who is thought to be the favourite to win the TV talent show, has enthralled viewers from Gaza, the West Bank and the entire Palestinian diaspora with his rendition of traditional songs – some lamenting the loss of his homeland – and his self-effacing charm. For many in Palestine, enduring a grinding existence under occupation, Assaf has come to symbolise hope and national aspiration.

The series has attracted millions across the Arab world. In Gaza and the West Bank, posters of Assaf are plastered across walls and billboards, and T-shirts bearing his face and the number three – assigned to him in the SMS voting system – are a common sight.

Public figures, including President Mahmoud Abbas, have urged Palestinians to vote enmasse by text message for the local boy. According to Reuters, Abbas has instructed Palestinian embassies to urge expatriates to vote for Assaf, calling the singer "the pride of the Palestinian and Arab nation". Two mobile phone companies have offered cut-price texts for viewers.

Palestinians smoke nargila under a poster depicting singer Mohammed Assaf \
on a wall of a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip Photograph:
Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/REUTERS

The acclaim is not quite universal, however. Some conservative Islamic groups, including Hamas, disapprove of the western-style Arab Idol. "There has been no direct criticism, but we hear that some sheikhs at Friday prayers don't like this," his older brother, Shadi, a taxi driver, told the Guardian last month. "There are always some enemies of success."

Assaf, who has six siblings, was born in Libya, but his parents returned to Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza when he was four. He performed at weddings and family parties as a child. In some of his television appearances for Arab Idol he has sung wearing the traditional Palestinian scarf –the keffiyeh.

Friday night's show, broadcast live from Beirut, will see the three finalists perform for the last time, with results announced on Saturday night. Competing against Assaf are Ahmed Jamal from Egypt, and Farah Youssef, a female singer from Syria.

Last year's winner was given a lucrative recording contract and a car.

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