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'Ayn al-'Arab
'Ayn al-'Arab Location in Syria
Coordinates: 36°53′24″N 38°22′12″E / 36.89°N 38.37°E / 36.89; 38.37
Country	Syria
Governorate	Aleppo Governorate
District	'Ayn al-'Arab District
Elevation	520 m (1,710 ft)
Population
• Total	54,681
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

'Ayn al-'Arab (Arabic: عين العرب‎ 'Ayn al 'Arab, Kurdish: Kobanê) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Aleppo Governorate. 'Ayn al-'Arab has a population of 54,681.

v t e Administrative divisions of Aleppo Governorate Mount Simeon District centre and Nahiyahs Aleppo Zerbeh Hretan Darat Azzah Hader Tall Daman Aleppo Governorate A'zaz District centre and Nahiyahs A'zaz Akhtareen Tall Rif'at Mare' Nubbol Sawran Afrin District centre and Nahiyahs Afrin Bulbul Jindires Rajo Sharran Sheikh al-Hadid Ma'batli Ayn Al-Arab District centre and Nahiyahs Ayn Al-Arab Sheyukh Tahtani Sarrin Atarib District centre and Nahiyahs Atarib Abian Sam'an Urem al-Kubra Al Bab District centre and Nahiyahs Al-Bab Tedef Al-Rayi Arima Dayr Hafir District centre and Nahiyahs Dayr Hafir Rasm Harmel al-Imam Quwaires Sharqi Jarabulus District centre and Nahiyahs Jarabulus Ghandoura Manbij District centre and Nahiyahs Manbij Abu Qelqel Khafsah Maskaneh As Safirah District centre and Nahiyahs As Safirah Khanaser Banan Al-Hajeb

This Syria location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Coordinates: 36°53′24″N 38°22′12″E / 36.89°N 38.37°E / 36.89; 38.37

Amr Abdol-Basset Abdol-Azeez Diab (Arabic: عمرو عبد الباسط عبد العزيز دياب‎; born 11 October 1961)^[1] is an Egyptian singer and composer of geel music; the contemporary face of Egyptian el-geel pop music, according to World Music. Diab is the best-selling Arab recording artist of all time, according to Let's Go Egypt. He was awarded the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist four times: 1998, 2002, 2007 and 2009.He is currently one of the top singers in the Arab world, and considered a living legend by many of his fans in the Arab world.

Amr Diab is known as the Father of Mediterranean Music.^[2][3][4] He has created his own style which is often termed "Mediterranean Music" or "Mediterranean Sound", a blend of Western and Egyptian rhythms.^[5]

In The Mediterranean in Music, David Cooper and Kevin Dawe referred to his music as "the new breed of Mediterranean music".^[6]

According to author Michael Frishkopf, Amr Diab has produced a new concept of Mediterranean music, especially in his international hit, "Nour El Ain".^[5]

In his analysis of The Very Best of Amr Diab album, Victor W. Valdivia of Allmusic said: "His music melded traditional Arabic sounds and textures with Western rhythms and instruments. The mesh was dubbed Mediterranean music, and The Very Best of Amr Diab displays Diab's superb skill in creating it."^[7]

According to the BBC, Diab "has ruled the Arab music world, especially Egypt and the Middle East, since the mid '80s, continually breaking sales records".^[8]

Musical career[link]

In 1983, Diab released his first studio album, Ya Tareeq. Diab released three more albums between 1984 and 1987. 1988's "Mayaal" garnered huge success all around the Middle East. It was produced, arranged and remixed by German musicians, Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg and Jörg Evers, with various releases. More success followed in the following years including the albums Shawakkna, Matkhafesh, and We Yloumouni.

Amr Diab quickly developed fame for his new style of "Pan-Mediterranean" Arabic music, fusing touches of flamenco and raï with western pop with traditional Arabic rhythms. B1992, he became the first Arabic artist to start making high-tech music videos.^[5]

"Habibi" from Diab's 1996 album, Nour El Ain became a hit worldwide, and was remixed by many of the world's top DJs at the time.^{[citation needed]} A special CD named Habibi: The Remix Album was released later with all of these remixes. Since then, Diab has remained at the top of the Arabic music scene, expanding reach to all parts of the Mediterranean with his 1999 release, Amarain, that featured duets with Algeria's king of rai Khaled in a song called "Qalbi" and Greece's Angela Dimitriou in "Ana Bahibak Aktar" and "Eleos". "Tamally Maak" from Diab's 2000 album became a huge success. Leily Nahari, Diab's first album with Rotana Records, was released in 2004. Diab's album El Leila De was released in the summer of 2007 and topped the Arabic music charts for 22 weeks. Diab received a World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist for the album. In 2008, Diab renewed his contract with Rotana for five more years.^{[citation needed]} In 2009, Diab released a new album Wayah.

Influences and contributions[link]

Diab revolutionized Egyptian show business in several respects,^{[citation needed]} and some of his biographers have referred to him as rebellious, because he challenged everything in Middle Eastern show business, from hairstyle and appearance to music style, presentation, and the financial scale of his projects.

Diab’s blending of Western rhythms with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music styles created a new music style, referred to as Mediterranean music. His song “Tamalli Ma’ak”/“Always With You,” wherein he introduced classical guitar, is a good example of the genre.

The world's perspective[link]

Diab is one of the most popular and acclaimed Arab pop singers of the modern age.^{[citation needed]} In 1997 he won three awards at the Annual Arabic Festival; one for Best Video, for Best Song, and for Best Artist of the Year. The following year Diab received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of Nour El Ain and also received a World Music Award in Monaco.

Albums[link]

[edit] Nour El Ain

In 1996, Nour El Ain (Light of The Eye – Sight) was released, becoming a tremendous success not only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The song was composed by Nasser el-Mizdawi, lyrics were written by Ahmed Sheta and it was arranged by Hameed Elshaery. The title track, and its English version "Habibi", was an international phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka (performed by Sangeeth Wickremasinghe) and Malaysia (Malay version sung by Datuk Sharifah Aini). The song was remade with Malayalam lyrics, a south Indian language, in the Malayalam movie Chandralekha. In a style reminiscent of the Aldo (musician) Franco-Arabic style, the song was remixed by several top European arrangers and has become a big pull on the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and expensive productions in the field of Egyptian song, and set a new standard for his contemporaries to aspire to. This album sold 3 million copies. In 1997, Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum Award for the sales of Nour El Ain, and received a World Music Award in Monaco on 6 May 1998, under the patronage of H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and attended by Gloria Estefan, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Steven Seagal and others. This award was the first of its kind for an Egyptian artist, emphasizing that his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of his contemporaries.

[edit] Awedooni

His follow-up studio album entitled Awedooni (they made me used to...) was released in July 1998, and as with Nour El Ain (the light of the eye) it was produced with Hamid El Shaery and recorded in Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedooni" (they made me used to...), was shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its predecessor, this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his popularity in the Arab world and abroad.

[edit] Amarain "Two Moons" in English

Diab released his July 1999 new studio album Amarain (two moons), which is hailed as the best work of his career to date.^{[citation needed]} Amr is working on eagerly anticipated duets with the France-based international Rai superstar, Khaled of "Didi" fame, and with the Greek singer, Angela Dimitrou, whose crossover smash "Marguerites" was a huge hit across the Middle East in 1998. The title track "Amarain" was the first video to be broadcast.

[edit] Tamally Ma'ak

In July 2000, Diab revolutionized Arab music when he issued Tamally Ma'ak (I'm Always With You). The song was composed by Sherif Tag, a modern Egyptian Composer. He introduced the Spanish guitar in his song "Tamally Ma'ak" and in other songs. The clip of this song was made in the Czech Republic with much success. The album contained songs like "El Allem Alla" (Only God Knows), "Ba'terf" (I Confess) which were composed by Amr Mostafa the best middle-eastern composer, "Sa'ban Alaea" (It Makes Me Feel Sorry) and "We Heya Amla Eih" (And How Is She?). The song "Tamally Ma'ak" was even copied in the hit Bollywood song "Kaho Na Kaho" from the film Murder and also "I'm Calling U" by the group, Outlandish.

[edit] Aktar Wahed

Aktar Wahed was released on 1 August 2001. The album's name is short for one of the songs, "Aktar Wahed Beyhebbak" (One loves you the most). It contains 10 tracks and received the World Music Award for the best-selling album in the Middle East for 2001.

[edit] Allem Albi

In February 2003, Diab released Allem Alby (Teach My Heart). The album's release date was arranged to be with the debut broadcast of Alam El Phan's (Allem Alby's production company, owned by Mohsen Gaber) music channel "Mazzika".

The album was a great success, with the release of the video "Ana Ayesh" (I'm Alive) which was directed by Stuart Gosling. The video was intensely broadcast on Mazzika. The album contains other songs, like the R&B-influenced hit, "Allem Albi". Others that tend to be more distinctively Arabic-sounding are songs like "Kolohom" (All of Them), "Law Ash'any" (If You Adore Me), and "Alli El Wadaa'" (Goodbye To Me).

[edit] Leily Nahary

In late summer 2004, Diab's first album with Rotana was released, titled Leily Nahary (My Nights, My Days). The album's cover was from the promotional photo shoot of Pepsi. The video "Leily Nahari" directed by Cameron Casey provided aid to give Diab his space in the record-exclusive music channels. It was criticized because of its similarity to his previously unreleased video for "El Alem Allah" from the album Tamally Ma'ak. This album sold over 1.5 million copies.

[edit] Kammel Kalamak

Diab's album Kammel Kalamak, released on 14 December 2005, was the follow-up to Leily Nahary. The album cost a reported $4 million to record, and was Rotana's biggest album of 2005. The love ballad "We Malo" was released as the single of the album, Kammel Kalamak. The music video was shot in London and was released on a late notice after the release of the album. Rumors surfaced in late 2005 and early 2006 stated that Amr is considering terminating his contract with Rotana due to the poor promotion of his latest album, Kammel Kalamak.

[edit] El Leila De (Tonight)

The album El Leila De was originally set to be released after Ramadan 2006. However, it was pushed back several times due to Diab's repeated changes in the musical producers he was dealing with. Diab attributes the changes to the producer's lack of new and strong styles. In early 2006, Music Arranger Fahd was supposed to work on this album; however, later that year Tarek Madkour joined Amr Diab, and they started together to work on it. On 25 March 2007, Madkour's official website announced that Amr Diab and Madkour had decided jointly to skip the collaboration on the album due to the lack of time and conflicting working schedules. Fahd and a new producer called Hasan Al Shafei are elected to produce the music in the album, which is supposed to hit the markets in July 2007. The title of the album was changed from Khaleek Ma'aya to El Leila De. After the release Amr, shot a new Pepsi advertisement in Europe. On 21 June 2007, two of the biggest sites (AmrDiabWorld.com & AmrDiab.info) for Amr Diab announced that the album, now entitled El Lilady, would hit the market on 7 July 2007. The album would contain 10 tracks; AL Shafei and Fahd shared the production Al Shaei 7 songs & Fahd 3 Songs. Before releasing his album, Diab traveled to Portugal to shoot the new Pepsi ad choosing "Inta El Ghaly" song from his upcoming album El Leila De as the ad music. Amr then traveled to the USA to film the music video for his upcoming album.

The album master copy was given to Rotana, Amr Diab's CD production company, on the last week of June to meet the 7 July 2007 release date he had planned earlier. Rotana, however, has delayed the release of the new CD for a couple of days for unknown reasons. The album has also been leaked. The album was officially released on 11 July 2007. The album has already become a huge hit in Egypt and all over the Middle East. The album sold over 1,000,000 copies in only 5 days of release. The video clip has been slated for a 27 July release. The song that Diab chose to film was "N'eoul Eih", which is in the new style of House Music mixed with oriental Arabic music. The video clip was filmed in Santa Monica and Malibu, and also near Hollywood.

On 27 July, Rotana News announced that El Leila De had sold over 5 million copies in less than two weeks in the Middle East, which gives the album a good chance to surpass Kammel Kalamak's 3 million copies only. On 30 October 2007, the management of the World Music Awards announced that Amr Diab was to receive an award for best selling artist in the Middle East for this album. Amr Diab received the award in the festival that was held in Monaco, Monte-Carlo, on 4 November 2007.

[edit] Wayah (With Her) (2009)

The world music award of for the best-selling album in the Middle East 2009 Wayah (With Her) was released for sale on the internet on 27 June; however, the album was leaked online and was downloaded illegally amid complaints of slow download speed on the official site. Diab's fans initiated a massive boycott of the sites with the illegal copies^[9] and by 3 July 2009 Wayah had sold more than 1.5 million copies in the first week.^[10] Later on Amr Diab's administration announced that the album has become the highest-selling album in Diab's career. This album sold 3 million copies.^[11]

On 18 October 2009 Amr Diab won four 2009 African Music Awards in the following categories: best artist, best album, best vocalist and best song for "Wayah" and Amr Diab has been nominated by the Big Apple Music Awards^[12]

[edit] Aslaha Betefre' (2010)

Amr Diab has released a mini album for the first time in his career history, produced by Rotana, in July 2010. The mini album contains 1 song with 3 arrangements (Original song + Club Mix + Karaoke).

[edit] Banadeek Ta'ala (2011)

In May 2011, it was announced that Amr Diab's new album (at the time titled Heya Hayati) was slated for an Eid Al Fitr release. Due to the unstable political situation in Egypt, the album was pushed back and delayed until further notice. In late August 2011, Amr Diab's official website announced the new album's final title, "Banadeek Ta'ala" and Rotana slated the album for a 28 September release. The album contains 12 songs that include: Banadeek Ta'ala, Heya Hayaty, Aloomak Leh, Aref Habibi, Maly Enaya, Yaret Sennek, and Tagreba o Addet. The album is arranged by Adel Hakki and is produced by Rotana.

Music videos[link]

Diab is one of the first singers to popularise music videos in the Arab World, and the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos.^[5] With the exception of his very early releases, all of his albums have had at least one song shot as a music video. Diab has collaborated with a variety of music video directors in the Middle East, including Tarek El-Erian and Sherif Sabri.

The most anticipated video clip of 2007, N'eoul Eih, was released on 14 August that year on Rotana TV. It was broadcast minutes later on Egyptian television on "El Beit Betak". The video was a great success.

6 August 2009 witnessed the release of Amr Diab's latest video clip for his smash hit Wayah. Working alongside Cameron Casey and [Leily Nahari] for a second time, Amr Diab presented a fresh video clip which was filmed mostly on Green Screen and in Amr Diab's personal villa in Cairo, Egypt. The biggest surprise was the appearance of Amr Diab's children alongside his niece, who represented the younger generation of children who are still inspired by the music of Amr Diab.

Diab also filmed "Ba2dem Alby" which was released on Valentine's Day.

[edit] El Helm/The Dream

The Dream or El Helm is a biographical TV production produced by Amr Afefy that gives viewers the story of Amr Diab's life. The show consists of 12 episodes and began airing on 24 December 2008. El Helm is narrated by actor Ezzat Abou Ouf and includes interviews with Diab and people he worked with throughout the span of his career. The show, which aired on Rotana TV, saw great success and was preceded by one of the biggest advertising campaigns in the history of Middle Eastern music.

Film career[link]

Diab's fame in the music industry has led him to experiment with other forms of media, such as film. Amr played himself in his first film, El Afareet, which was released in 1989. The film also starred Madiha Kamel. His second film Ice Cream in Gleam (Ays Krim fi Glym), the 1992 movie in which Diab starred, was chosen as one of the best five Egyptian musical films by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The film was also featured in the UCLA Film and Television Archive's new program "Music on the Nile: Fifty Years of Egyptian Musical Films" at James Bridges Theater, UCLA, 6, 8 and 10 April. David Chute of the Los Angeles Weekly termed the film "observant" and "a big leap".^[13] His third movie was released in 1993, and was named Deahk We La'ab (Laughter and Fun). The film premiered in the Egyptian Film Festival in 1993. Amr played alongside international Egyptian movie star Omar Sharif (Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago) and Yousra in the movie. Overall, Diab did not experience the same level of success in film that he had with his music career. Since 1993, Diab has focused on his singing career.

Egyptian uprising[link]

A few days after former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, Amr Diab composed and sang a memorial song, "Masr A'let",^[14] and released it in conjunction with a music video showing pictures of the martyrs who died in the uprising. He also initiated a charity campaign "Masry Begad" ("Real Egyptian"), a social national program aimed at serving and rebuilding Egyptian society. His online radio station Diab FM often presents talks and discussions about what Diab FM team can offer to the community as well as applying it practically by being present in different sites across Egypt with a new humanitarian project each week.^[15]

Endorsements[link]

Amr Diab has taken part in an internationally known Pepsi commercial featuring four other pop musicians: Beyoncé Knowles, Pink, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears. In the US version, Enrique Iglesias takes the role of Caesar. But in the pan Arab version, the three American singers were retained but the male figure was replaced with Diab. This was not the first Pepsi commercial Diab has done; he also filmed commercials featuring his songs "Ana Aktar Wahed" (I'm the most), "Allem Alby" (teach my heart) and "Khad Alby Ma'aa" (She took my heart with her). Diab also appeared in a commercial alongside Jennifer Lopez, singing The Troggs hit "Wild Thing". In 2009 Pepsi decided not to renew his contract. In 2010 he was the star of "Hayat" bottled water campaign.

Local record labels[link]

Diab's earliest albums were released by Delta Sound. In 1996 Diab moved to Alam Al Phan where he released his greatest hits. In between 2003 and 2004, and after a long successful career with Alam El Phan, Diab officially announced the termination of his contract with Mohsen Gaber (owner of Alam El Phan) and move to the company that owned by Prince El Waleed Ebn Talal, Rotana Records and the owner of part of media huge muscel [Fox].

International record labels[link]

Over 18 international companies have produced studio albums, compilations and exclusive music for Amr Diab across the globe.

• Ariola - Germany
• Hot Records - Germany
• EMI Music - Greece
• EMI Music - Arabia
• EMI Music - Turkey
• EMI Music - Canada [Hemisphere]
• EMI Music - Europe
• EMI Music - International
• World Music Network - USA
• George V Records - France
• Putumayo World Music - USA
• Wagram Music - France
• Virgin - International
• Nascent - UK
• Milano 2000 - Italy
• Reverb Music - UK
• Toast Records - Italy
• Warner Bros. - France

Collaboration with international musicians[link]

Various international musicians have collaborated with Amr Diab:

• Stuart Crichton (The founder of Progressive House)
• Frank Von Dem Bottlenberg - Germany
• Jorg Evers - Germany
• Shazz (Didier Delesalle) - France
• Klubbheads (Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan) - Dutch
• Phunk Phorce (Leon and Matthew Roberts) - UK
• Rhythm Masters (Robert Bruce Chetcuti and Steve McGuinness) - UK
• Pete Beachill - UK
• Simon Gardner - UK
• Andy Greenwood - UK
• Kevan Gallagher - UK
• Jon Bishop - UK
• Juan Cerro - Spain
• Angela Dimitriou - Greece

Amr Diab in movies[link]

Amr Diab's songs have appeared in several films, including:

• "Wala Ala Baloh" in Divine Intervention (2002)^[16]
• "Awedouni" in The Dancer Upstairs (2002)^[17]
• "El Alem Alah" and "Nour El Ain" in O Clone (2001)^[18]
• "Nafs El Makan" in Double Whammy (2001)^[19]
• "Tamally Ma'ak" and "Nour El Ain" in the French movie, Coco (2009)
• "Nour El Ain" in Malcolm in the Middle TV series (Season 4, Episode 4, Episode name: Stupid Girl), released on 9 January 2000 (USA)^[20]

"Wala Ala Baloh" in The Dictator 2012

Further reading[link]

• Mediterranean Mosaic by Goffredo Plastino
• Egypt by Virginia Maxwell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Siona Jenkins, Anthony Sattin
• World Music by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo, Orla Duane, Vanessa Dowell
• Teens in Egypt by Barbara A. Somervill
• Syria & Lebanon by Terry Carter, Lara Dunston, Andrew Humphreys, Damien Simonis
• World Music by Richard Nidel
• The Mediterranean in Music by David Cooper, Kevin Dawe
• The Middle East by Library Information and Research Service
• Let's Go Egypt by Let's Go, Inc., Joey Shabot, Dave Newman, Elizabeth Ogburn, Charlotte Houghteling

Official Albums

• 1983: Ya Tareeq (يا طريق - O Road)
• 1985: Ghanny Men Albak (غنّي من قلبك - Sing From Your Heart)
• 1986: Hala Hala (هلا هلا - Welcome, Welcome)
• 1987: Khalseen (خالصين - We're Even)
• 1988: Mayyal (ميّال - In Love)
• 1989: Shawaana (شوقنا - Missing You)
• 1990: Matkhafeesh (متخافيش - Don't Worry)
• 1991: Habiby (حبيبي - My Love)
• 1992: Ayamna (أيامنا - Our Days)
• 1992: Ice Cream Fi Gleam (أيس كريم في جليم - Ice Cream In Gleam)
• 1993: Ya Omrena (يا عمرنا - Our Life)
• 1994: W Ylomoony (و يلوموني - And They Blame Me
• 1994: Zekrayat (ذكريات - Memories)
• 1995: Ragaeen (راجعين - We'll Be Back)
• 1996: Nour El-Ain (نور العين - Light Of The Eye)
• 1998: Awedoony (عوّدوني - They Got Me Used To)
• 1999: Amarein (قمرين - Two Moons)
• 2000: Tamally Maak (تملي معاك - Always With You)
• 2001: Aktar Wahed (أكتر واحد - The Most One)
• 2003: Allem Alby (علم قلبي - Teach My Heart)
• 2004: Leily Nahary (ليلي نهاري - My Night, My Day)
• 2005: Kammel Kalamak (كمّل كلامك - Keep Talking)
• 2007: El Leila De (الليلا دي - This Night)
• 2009: Wayah (ويّاه - With Her)
• 2010: Aslaha Btefre' (اصلها بتفرق - Because She Makes A Difference)
• 2011: Banadeek Ta'ala (بناديك تعالى - I'm calling you come )

Unofficial Albums

• 1984* Forsan Asia ( Asia Knights - فرسان آسيا )
• 1986 Menin Ageeb Nas (Where Can I Get People - منين أجيب ناس ) - ( Yanabee' El Nahr TV Series - مسلسل ينابيع النهار )
• 1986* Ya Helwa ( Sweetie - يا حلوة )
• 1987 Assef ( Sorry - آسف ) - ( Assef la yogad hal akhar TV Series - مسلسل آسف لا يوجد حل آخر )
• 1999 The best of Amr diab ( أحلى ما غنى عمرو دياب )
• 2002 Rewind
• 2004 Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1986–1995)
• 2005 Amr Diab Greatest Hits (1996–2003)
• 2005 Mateftekrish ( Don't Even Think - ماتفتكريش )
• 2009 Henyet El Donya ( Tenderness of Life - حنية الدنيا )

(*/ unconfirmed Date)

Concerts[link]

Amr Diab held so many concerts in the Arab World and around the world. Every year, one of his main concerts is held by the Mediterranean at the exclusive Egyptian resort city, Marina El Alamein. In addition, he holds an annual spring concert (The Carnival) at the American University in Cairo. In 2011, he held six concerts in the USA and 1 concert in Toronto, Canada.

References[link]

1. ^ "Bio". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0229018/bio. 
2. ^ Lesswing, Bryan (October 2009). "Sounds of the Middle East, Minnesota provide options for listeners". The DePauw. http://www.thedepauw.com/features/sounds-of-the-middle-east-minnesota-provide-options-for-listeners-1.1993168. Retrieved 20 December 2009. 
3. ^ Crane, Kelly (April 2010). "Egyptian superstar Amr Diab is set to rock Dubai". Gulf News. http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/egyptian-superstar-amr-diab-is-set-to-rock-dubai-1.615728. Retrieved 24 April 2010. 
4. ^ Matt, Ross (January 2011). "Q&A: Amr Diab". Rolling Stone Middle East. http://www.rollingstoneme.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43. Retrieved 5 January 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Frishkopf, Michael (2003). "Some Meanings of the Spanish Tinge in Contemporary Egyptian Music". In Plastino, Goffredo. Mediterranean mosaic: popular music and global sounds. Routledge. pp. 145–148. ISBN 978-0-415-93656-9. http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~michaelf/Some%20Meanings%20of%20the%20Spanish%20Tinge.pdf. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
6. ^ Cooper, David; Kevin Dawe (2005). The Mediterranean in music: Critical perspectives, common concerns, cultural differences. Scarecrow Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-8108-5407-4. 
7. ^ Valdivia, Victor W.. "The Very Best of Amr Diab". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r565771. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
8. ^ JJC (August 2005). "Ghana's Tic Tac, Nigeria's Ayetoro and Egypt's Amr Diab". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/africabeyond/africaonyourstreet/hosts/jjc/17911.shtml. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
9. ^ "Amr Diab's album sweeping cassette market". Musicananet. 30 June 2009. http://www.musicananet.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=831:2009-06-30-21-53-47&catid=55:2009-02-18-21-10-52&Itemid=93. Retrieved 2 July 2009. ^{[dead link]} (Arabic)
10. ^ "Amr Diab sales exceed one million and a half". Musicananet. 3 July 2009. http://www.musicananet.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=851:2009-07-03-20-27-58&catid=55:2009-02-18-21-10-52&Itemid=93. Retrieved 2 July 2009. ^{[dead link]} (Arabic)
11. ^ Salman (20 April 2010). "Amr Diab in Dubai". DubaiMoves. http://www.dubaimoves.com/9944/amr-diab-in-dubai. 
12. ^ Khaled Taha (25 October 2009). "Amr Diab wins four African Music Awards" (in Arabic). ART. http://artonline.tv/Entertainment/newsdetails.aspx?newsID=17963. Retrieved 28 October 2009. 
13. ^ Chute, David; Irene G. Behnan (8 April 1999). "All Singing! All Belly-Dancing". Los Angeles Weekly. http://www.laweekly.com/1999-04-08/film-tv/all-singing-all-belly-dancing/2. Retrieved 4 June 2009. 
14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsxyHbWY71s
15. ^ http://diabfm.com/masry-begad
16. ^ "Soundtracks for Yadon ilaheyya". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0274428/soundtrack. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
17. ^ "Soundtracks for The Dancer Upstairs". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118926/soundtrack. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
18. ^ "Soundtracks for O Clone". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289800/soundtrack. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
19. ^ "Amr Diab Filmography". Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1809493507. Retrieved 11 June 2009. 
20. ^ "Malcolm in the Middle, Season 4, Episode 4 notes". CNET Network: TV.com. http://www.tv.com/malcolm-in-the-middle/stupid-girl/episode/187386/trivia.html. Retrieved 12 October 2009. 

External links[link]

• http://www.amrdiab.net/ - Official Website
• http://amrdiabworld.com/ - Official Online Store
• http://DiabFM.com/ - Official Online Radio

Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Syria making up 9% of the country's population.^[1] Most of them are Sunni Muslims; there are also Yazidi and Yarsan Kurds in Syria and small numbers of Christians and Alawis. They face routine discrimination and harassment by the Syrian government.^[2][3]

Demographics[link]

The majority of Kurds in Syria originally came from Turkey in the 1920s.^[4] The community in Syria is quite small compared to their compatriots in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. However in the years 1980-1990, Kurds in Syria changed their tactics. During this period, violent clashes of community members with authorities resulted in mass arrests and deaths in 1986 and 1992.

Considering that the State department and CIA did not acknowledge the existence of the Kurds in Syria in 1970s and 1980s, Syrian government officially does not acknowledge the existence of Kurds in Syria, and lack of transparent census in Syria; it would be difficult to predicate the true and accurate percentage.

Geography[link]

Light colored region indicates Kurdish inhabited regions of Syria

Kurds mostly live in a geocultural region in northeastern Syria. This region covers the greater part of the governorate of Al Hasakah (formerly the Al-Jazira province), a region also inhabited by many Assyrians. The main cities in this region are Al-Qamishli and Al Hasakah. Another region with significant Kurdish population is Kobanê (Ayn al-Arab) in the northern part of Syria near the town of Jarabulus. The Kurdish-inhabited northern and northeastern parts of Syria in Kurdish are called "Kurdistana Binxetê". An area of Kurdish concentration is Kurd-Dagh in the northwest, around the town of Afrin in Aleppo Governorate, a region that extends to the Turkish districts Islahiye and Kırıkhan. Also many Kurds live in metropolitan areas and large cities of the country, e.g. the neighborhood of Rukn al-Din in Damascus, formerly known as Hayy al Akrad (Quarter of the Kurds).^[5][6]

Politics[link]

French Mandate period[link]

In December 1931 - January 1932 the first elections under the new Syrian constitution were held.^[7] Among the deputies there were three members of the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Xoybûn (Khoyboun) party, Khalil bey Ibn Ibrahim Pacha (Al-Jazira province), Mustafa bey Ibn Shahin (Jarabulus) and Hassan Aouni (Kurd Dagh).^[8]

KDPS, Jazira and Barzani[link]

Osman Sabri and Daham Miro along with some Kurdish politicians, founded the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Syria (KDPS) in 1957. The objectives of KDPS were promotion of Kurdish cultural rights, economic progress and democratic change. KDPS was never legally recognized by the Syrian state and remains an underground organization, especially after a crackdown in 1960 during which several of its leaders were arrested, charged with separatism and imprisoned. After the failure of Syrian political union with Egypt in 1961, Syria was declared an Arab Republic in the interim constitution. On 23 August 1962, the government conducted a special population census only for the province of Jazira which was predominantly Kurdish. As a result, around 120,000 Kurds in Jazira were arbitrarily categorized as aliens. In fact, the inhabitants had Syrian identity cards and were told to hand them over to the administration for renewal. However those Kurds who submitted their cards received nothing in return. A media campaign was launched against the Kurds with slogans such as Save Arabism in Jazira! and Fight the Kurdish threat!. These policies coincided with the beginning of Barzani's uprising in Iraqi Kurdistan and discovery of oilfields in the Kurdish inhabited areas of Syria. In June 1963, Syria took part in the Iraqi military campaign against the Kurds by providing aircraft, armoured vehicles and a force of 6,000 soldiers. Syrian troops crossed the Iraqi border and moved into Kurdish town of Zakho in pursuit of Barzani's fighters^[9]

Arab cordon[link]

In 1965, the Syrian government decided to create an Arab cordon (Hizam Arabi) in the Jazira region along the Turkish border. The cordon was 300 kilometers long and 10-15 kilometers wide, stretched from the Iraqi border in the east to Ras Al-Ain in the west. The implementation of the Arab cordon plan began in 1973 and Bedouin Arabs were brought in and resettled in Kurdish areas. The toponymy of the area such as village names were Arabized. According to the original plan, some 140,000 Kurds had to be deported to the southern desert near Al-Raad. Although Kurdish farmers were dispossessed of their lands, they refused to move and give up their houses. Among these Kurdish villagers, those who were designated as alien are not allowed to own property, to repair a crumbling house or to build a new one.^[10]

1986 Demonstrations[link]

In March 1986, a few thousand Kurds wearing Kurdish costume gathered in the Kurdish part of Damascus to celebrate the spring festival of Newroz. Police warned them that Kurdish dress is prohibited and it fired on the crowd leaving one person dead. Around 40,000 Kurds took part in his funeral in Qamishli. Also in Afrin, three Kurds were killed during the Newroz demonstrations.^[11]

The March 2004 riots[link]

After an incident in a football stadium in Al Qamishli, 65 people were killed and more than 160 were injured in days of clashes starting from March 12. Kurdish sources indicated that Syrian security forces used live ammunition against civilians after clashes broke out at a football match between Kurdish fans of the local team and Arab supporters of a visiting team from the city of Deir al-Zor. The international press reported that nine people were killed on March 12. According to Amnesty International hundreds of people, mostly Kurds, were arrested after the riots. Kurdish detainees were reportedly tortured and ill-treated. Some Kurdish students were expelled from their universities, reportedly for participating in peaceful protests.^[12]

Formation of an Umbrella for Kurds[link]

The Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria was formed to represent Syrian Kurds based on two major conferences, one at the US Senate in March 2006 and the other at the EU parliament in Brussels in 2006. The Kurdistan National Assembly of Syria (KNAS) seek democracy for Syria and granting rights to Kurds and other Syrian minorities. They seek to transform Syria into a federal state, with a democratic system and structure for the federal government and provincial governments. This will begin a new era in which the Syrian people and neighboring countries will enjoy freedom, peace, security and stability.

2011 protests[link]

Following the Tunisian Revolution and the Egyptian Revolution, February 4th 2011 was declared a 'Day of Rage' in Syria by activists through the medium of Facebook. Few turned out to protest, but among the few were Kurdish demonstrators in the northeast of the country.^[13] On 7 October 2011, Kurdish leader Mashaal Tammo was gunned down in his apartment by masked men widely believed to be regime agents. During Tammo's funeral procession the next day in the town of Qamishli, Syrian security forces fired into a crowd of more than 50,000 mourners, killing five people.^[14] According to Tammo's son, Fares Tammo, "My father's assassination is the screw in the regime's coffin. They made a big mistake by killing my father."^[15]

Human rights of Kurds in Syria[link]

Amnesty and HRW reports[link]

Kurds often speak Kurdish in public, unless all those present do not. Amnesty International USA claims Kurdish human rights activists are mistreated and persecuted.^[16] According to the Human Rights Watch, Kurds in Syria can not use the Kurdish language, are not allowed to register children with Kurdish names, prohibited to start businesses that do not have Arabic names, are not permitted to build Kurdish private schools, and prohibited from publishing books and other materials written in Kurdish.^[17][18]

Citizenship[link]

In 1962, 20 percent of Syria's Kurdish population were stripped of their Syrian citizenship following a very highly controversial census raising concerns among human rights groups. According to the Syrian government, the reason for this enactment was due to groups of Kurds infiltrating the Al-Hasakah Governorate in 1945. The Syrian government claims that the Kurds came from neighboring countries, especially Turkey, and crossed into Syrian borders illegally. The government claims that these Kurds settled down, gradually, in the region in cities like Amuda and Al Qamishli until they accounted for the majority in some of these cities. The government also claims that many Kurds were capable of registering themselves illegally in the Syrian civil registers. The government further speculated that Kurds intended to settle down and acquire property, especially after the issue of the agricultural reform law, in order to benefit from land redistribution.^[17] However, according to Human Rights Watch, the Syrian government falsely claimed that many of the Kurds who were the original inhabitants of the land were foreigners, and in turn, violated their human rights by stripping them of their Syrian citizenship.^[19]

The flag of Kurdistan is banned in Syria.^[20]

As a result of government claims of an increase in illegal immigration, the Syrian government decided to conduct a general census on October 5, 1962 in the governorate with claims that its sole purpose was to purify registers and eliminate the alien infiltrators. As a result, the verified registrations of the citizens of Syria were included in the new civil registers. The remaining, which included 100,000 Kurds, were registered as foreigners (or "ajanib") in special registers.^{[17] [21]} Many others did not participate in the census. through choice or other circumstances; they are known as "maktoumeen", meaning "unrecorded".^[21] Since then, the number of stateless Kurds has grown to more than 200,000.^[22] According to Refugees International, there are about 300,000 stateless Kurds in Syria; however, Kurds dispute this number and estimate about 500,000. A recent independent report has confirmed that there are at least 300,000 stateless Kurds living in Syria.^[21]

According to the Human Rights Watch, by many accounts, the special census was carried out in an arbitrary manner separating members of the same families and classifying them differently. HRW claims that some Kurds in the same family became citizens while others became foreigners suggesting an inaccuracy in the Syrian government's process; HRW also alleges that some of the Kurds who had served in the Syrian army lost citizenship while those who bribed officials kept theirs.^[19] Stateless Kurds also do not have the option of legally relocating to another country because they lack passports or other internationally recognized travel documents. In Syria, other than in the governorate of Al-Hasakah, foreigners cannot be employed at government agencies and state-owned enterprises; they may not legally marry Syrian citizens. Kurds with foreigner status do not have the right to vote in elections or run for public office, and when they attend universities they are often persecuted and cannot be awarded with university degrees.^[21] Stateless Kurds living in Syria are not awarded school certificates and are often unable to travel outside of their provinces.^[21]

In April 2011, the President signed Decree 49 which provides citizenship for Kurds who were registered as foreigners in Hasaka.^[23] However, a recent independent report has suggested that the actual number of stateless Kurds who obtained their national ID cards following the decree does not exceed 6,000, leaving the remainder of 300,000 stateless Kurds living in Syria in a state of uncertainty.^[21] One newly nationalized Kurd has been reported as saying: ‘I’m pleased to have my ID card .... But not until the process is completed will I truly trust the intentions of this action. Before my card is activated, I must have an interview, no doubt full of interrogation and intimidation, with State Security. Citizenship should not be a privilege. It is my right.’ ^[21]

Accusations of racism and apartheid[link]

Accusations of Syrian Arab racism and apartheid, especially against the Kurdish minority, comes from Kurdish human rights organizations.^[24][25] and others.^[26]

Syrian Kurdish personalities[link]

• Khalid Bakdash (1912–1995), leader (1936-1995) of the Syrian Communist Party
• Husni al-Za'im (1897–1949), President of Syria (1949)

See also[link]

• Al-Jazira province
• Iraqi Kurdistan
• Iranian Kurdistan
• Turkish Kurdistan
• History of the Kurdish people

References[link]

External links[link]

• kurdnas.org
• KurdWatch.org
• Support Kurds in Syria
• The Alliance for Kurdish Rights

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