Kurdish 'Arab Idol' Contestant Promotes Iraqi Kurdistan

 When she stepped into the realm of art and music as a contestant on the Arab talent show Arab Idol, Parwas Hussein did not know that she would become an idol in the eyes of the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and gain widespread popularity.
Hussein, 26, has become a national idol after being accepted to the show, which airs on MBC every Friday and Saturday. Not content with merely voting by SMS, the standard way to keep participants on the show, the Kurdish people sent an official diplomatic delegation to Beirut to support Hussein.

Hussein is the first Kurdish contestant to participate in Arab Idol. She has ably passed many rounds and reached the contest's semifinals. Hussein, however, could not speak Arabic; she auditioned accompanied by a translator. Hussein would write out the lyrics of the songs, translate them into Kurdish to grasp the meaning and then memorize the Arabic lyrics. Despite this, the judges were impressed by her talent and she was admitted to the show.

Arab Idol is the Arab version of Pop Idol, created by Simon Fuller and distributed by the British company FremantleMedia. The first season of Arab Idol began Dec. 9, 2011, and aired throughout the world on MBC1.

In support of Hussein, The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) sent Deputy Prime Minister Imad Ahmad and his wife to Beirut to participate in one of the episodes.

The media described Hussein as an ambassador of Iraqi fraternity.

On Friday [May 31] Ahmad appeared in the audience watching the show and supporting Hussein. He was warmly welcomed by the show's hosts.

Kurdish support, however, did not stop there. A mass campaign was launched on social-media websites — namely, Facebook and Twitter. When Ahlam, an Arab Emirati singer and one of the judges, said during the second episode that Hussein represents Iraq and not the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (which is a part of Iraq), she was fiercely criticized by the Kurdish members of the audience. Subsequently, Ahlam offered her apologies to the Kurdish people, and Hussein was introduced in the show as a Kurdish contestant from the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. In a letter addressed to the Kurdish people, Ahlam apologized for the statement that was seen as offensive. Ahlam said she considered Hussein's participation in the show to be a “message of love and peace.”

The letter, titled “My message to the Kurdish people, Ahlam,” which was posted on Facebook, reads: “In response to the reaction of the Kurdish people following yesterday’s episode, I want to clarify that I did not intend to offend the Kurdish people. [Hussein's] participation communicates a sublime message, one of peace and love. She represents the place she came from. Since she sang in Arabic, we did not hesitate to welcome her talent. She also sang in Kurdish and delighted us.”

Ahlam not only apologized, but in her letter she also announced her desire to perform in Erbil, especially after becoming acquainted with Kurdish music through Hussein. She wrote on her Facebook page, “Soon, I will hold a concert for my Kurdish fans in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region [to express] my respect and love. And there will be a big surprise, as Parwas will perform with me.”

The support continues. The general committee for tourism, affiliated with the Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism in the KRG, sent an official invitation to the show's judges to visit the Kurdistan Region when the current season ends.

Nader Rosti, spokesman for the general committee, told Al-Monitor that what pushes them to receive the judges in Kurdistan is the direct and indirect support they showed in introducing the region as a touristic country that continues to blossom.

He added, “There is no doubt that one of our aims is to introduce tourism in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region to foreign countries by means of different media outlets. This show contributed to introducing Kurdish tourism to the Arab countries. They mentioned, more than once, that Kurdistan is a touristic country that continues to blossom. This is very important to us.”

“This show enjoys wide popularity in the Arab world. It was one of the reasons Kurdish tourism, heritage and culture were introduced to a wide spectrum of Arabs, notably the youth, who watch the show. We hold this in high esteem, and that is why we sent a thank-you letter to encourage them further. We also invited them to visit the tourist areas and to further promote tourism in the Kurdistan Region.”

Kurdish writer Fawzi al-Atrushi, who serves as the undersecretary of the Kurdish Ministry of Culture, dedicated an article to Hussein in which he said, “Revenge, retaliation and taking sides against the others will only usher in more grudges and will further widen the gaps that separate people from their fellow humans.”

He continues: “The solution is to integrate and familiarize oneself with the other without, of course, forgetting about identity — the identity of language, culture and the history that has always been a solid Kurdish identity, having withstood extreme duress. Hussein sends a message in which she tells us that we can applaud, vote for her and like her only because she is able to strike awe in us. And that is what happened.”

During Arab Idol episodes, the Kurdish contestant has performed many Kurdish songs and has introduced Kurdish music and heritage to the Arab world while wearing traditional Kurdish attire in some episodes. Hussein captivated the Arab audience when she performed in Kurdish and Arabic in the same song.

It is worth noting that Erbil, the largest city of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, was named the "2014 Arab Tourism Capital" by the Arab Ministries of Tourism. The KRG is exerting strenuous efforts to introduce the city to the Arab world and attract Arab tourists to visit.

Source: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/kurdish-contestant-arab-idol.html#