Monday, April 02, 2007

Iraqi Wins Arab "Idol" Competition



By Aws Qusay Sat Mar 31, 11:03 AM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - After enduring one of the bloodiest weeks in Iraq's sectarian conflict, Iraqis on Saturday were united in celebrating the win of an Iraqi woman in the hit pan-Arab television talent show Star Academy.



More from Yahoo! News




Or from CBS:

Iraqi Wins Arab "Idol" Competition, "Daughter of Mesopotamia" Wins Talent Competition In Lebanon - CBS News: "

(AP) For four long years, life has been brutally unkind to most Iraqis, but Friday night they had one of those rare moments to focus beyond the daily violence that is swallowing their lives. One of their own took first prize in the Arab version of American Idol.

In Baghdad, a city that becomes deserted and plunges into darkness after nightfall, residents who had electricity to watch televisions celebrated with gunfire that briefly pierced the quiet just before midnight.

Wearing a turquoise evening dress, Shadha Hassoun, wrapped herself with the white, red and black flag of Iraq and broke into tears as fans swarmed the stage in Beirut, Lebanon, where the contest was held and broadcast live throughout the Middle East.

'Her triumph will show the world that Iraqis will still sing despite their wounds,' Israa Tariq, a homemaker from Baghdad's al-Ghadeer neighborhood, said before Friday's final episode. "

No comments: