Mawtini (Arabic: موطني‎ “My Homeland”) is a popular poem written by famous Palestinian poet Ibrahim Touqan (Arabic: إبراهيم طوقان‎) circa 1934 in Palestine and became the de facto national anthem of Palestine^{[citation needed]} and Iraq^{[citation needed]}. It is also recognized in Syria and Algeria as an anthem as to show their support for the Palestinian cause. The original music was composed by Muhammad Fuliefil (Arabic: محمد فليفل‎). During the years it became very popular through the Arab world.

In 2004 it was re-adopted as the national anthem of Iraq after it was replaced by the old anthem Ardh Alforatain (1979-2003) associated with Saddam Hussein's Baath regime.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad (Arabic: بشار حافظ الأسد‎, Baššār al-ʾAsad, ‎‎‎Arabic pronunciation: [bæʃˈʃɑːɾɪlˈʔæsæd])‎; born 11 September 1965) is the current President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000.

Al-Assad graduated from the medical school of the University of Damascus in 1988, and started to work as a doctor in the army. Four years later, he attended postgraduate studies at the Western Eye Hospital, in London, specializing in ophthalmology. In 1994, Al-Assad entered the military academy and in 1998, Al-Assad took charge of the Syrian occupation of Lebanon. In December 2000, Assad married Asma Assad, née Akhras. Al-Assad was elected as President of Syria in 2000 and 2007, unopposed each time. During the Syrian uprising, activists and protesters have called for President al-Assad's resignation.

Bashar Hafez al-Assad was born in Damascus on 11 September 1965, the son of Aniseh (née Makhluf) and Hafez al-Assad. His father, Hafez al-Assad, born to a poor family of Alawite background, had risen through the Party ranks, to take control of the Syrian-led branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in the 1970 Corrective Revolution, thus installing himself as president. Hafez al-Assad purged the Party, and introduced effective Alawite rule of Syria.