[LCM Articles] Idol TV show contestant unites war-weary Iraqis

[Fadi P. Kanaan]

Idol TV show contestant unites war-weary Iraqis

 

>From Octavia Nasr and Saad Abedine
CNN

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shada Hassoon, a charismatic and talented 26-year-old
singer, is doing for Iraq what weary politicians in that strife-torn country
have so far failed to do: Unite the fractious nation.

Hassoon is a contestant representing Iraq on LBC's "Star Academy," a
televised entertainment competition from Lebanon similar to "American Idol."

She has advanced all the way to the finals and is one of four contestants
left.

On Friday, a winner will be announced, and Hassoon stands a solid chance of
winning, in part because Iraqis have embraced her and are expected to vote
for her in droves.

"You deserve it, you are the star," one fan wrote to Hassoon in a comment on
the Al-Arabiya network's Web site.

"I wish upon all Iraqis abroad and inside Iraq to vote for Shada, and I wish
that all of them unite, and I would like to say one word to the Arabs and
the entire world that Iraqis are brethren no matter what sect or confession
they belong to," the writer added.

Hassoon has mixed national heritage. She was born in Morocco to an Iraqi
father and a Moroccan mother.

But she is regarded as an Iraqi because nationality is based on her father's
country.

She identifies herself as an Iraqi national and says her dream since
childhood has been "to represent my country, Iraq, in arts."

"We voted for Shada without asking if she were a Shiite or a Sunni," Hicham
Mahmoud Alaazami said on the Al-Arabiya Web site. "We voted for her just
because she is an Iraqi."

Hassoon has been the object of attention in Arabic-language media in Iraq
and across the Arab world.


'Bring joy to the Iraqis' broken hearts'


"Salma the Sudanese" wrote on Al-Arabiya's Web site that "Shada Hassoon is a
great human being and a perfect artist. God willing, she will be the star
and bring joy to the Iraqis' broken hearts."

Salma thinks the singer will bring more happiness to the Iraqis than the
Arab summit this week, "because the Arab summit is nothing but a show and a
photo opportunity, nothing else."

Hassoon's efforts have shared space on Iraqi newspaper front pages with the
daily insurgent attacks, and one Iraqi TV channel is urging Iraqis to "vote
for the daughter of the Euphrates."

Some fans have launched Web sites to support her quest to win.

One Web message from a college student said "we need to collect donations
from the students so we can buy cell phone units cards in order to vote for
Shada. I am working on an ad that I can post in the university campus.
Before I do, can you please send me the correct way to vote for Shada via
text messages?"

In an LBC profile, Hassoon says she joined "Star Academy" because she loves
art and the show and "because it will educate me in the artistic domain, not
to mention fame."

Many people believe star power has its limits. Mohammed Amer Zakaria wrote
Al-Arabiya that he believes "Iraqis can find something else that can unite
them besides 'Star Academy.'"

But Zeina, in her Al-Arabiya posting, is more reflective of the Shada-mania
throughout Iraq. She begs everyone "despite the sad circumstances in Iraq,
please vote for our daughter Shada, the daughter of the two rivers."

 

C 2007 Cable News Network. 

 

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