Syrian hailing from Aleppo crowned “Arab Idol”

Syrian Hazem Sharif was declared the winner of singing contest “Arab Idol” for 2014 on Saturday’s grand finale in Beirut.

The audience broke into cheers and applause, chanting “Syria! Syria!” and “Hazem!” when the 21-year-old was declared by judges Ahlam, from the UAE, Lebanese singers Wael Kfouri and Nancy Ajram and Hassan Al Shafe’ei, an Egyptian music production expert, as the winner of the competition. He beat out Majid Al Madani from Saudi Arabia and Palestinian Haitham Khalailah to be crowned as “Arab Idol”.

Sharif will be awarded 250,000 Saudi riyals (about $66,000) as cash prize, along with a contract with Platinum Records and production of a video clip and three singles as prizes for winning. He also won a trip to Seychelles archipelago courtesy of Emirates airline, one of the main sponsors of the show this year.

“I would like to thank everyone, every Syrian citizen, who voted for me… I would like to thank the Syrian people”, he said after his win.

Sharif, who lives in Lebanon, was also keen on not taking sides in the Syrian civil war, telling reporters after the win, “I am 21; I don’t want to link my artistic career to politics”.

Sharif beat out his rivals in the finals by singing a traditional qudud from his hometown Aleppo, a form of singing generally based on popular poetry – one of his songs included the lyrics “Aleppo is a fountain of pain that flows in my country”.

Syrian state news agency SANA congratulated him as “the son of Aleppo who won thanks to a very special voice”.

Sharif’s victory was celebrated in the regime-controlled part of Aleppo, with women in the streets ululating and men firing celebratory shots in the air. The win also fueled controversy on the internet, with some accusing him of backing the Syrian regime while others wondered if he is a “rebel”