Truly Inspiring

Mohammed Assaf managed to get past all the roadblocks and barriers to make it to the first stage of Arab Idol’s competition in Cairo. From a Gaza refugee camp, he eventually had to climb over the walls of the compound where the auditions were taking place because he arrived too late. Once inside, without a ticket, he just burst into song amid the crowd of contestants, and one of his fellow competitors was kind enough to offer him his place. He’s now one of the favorites to win – and has managed to pierce through the grinding existence in Palestine to offer a unifying – and strikingly Western – vision.