This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7634
Terrorist Supporting UNRWA Youth Idol Incites Jihad, Martyrdom And Murder With US Based Hamas Operative Linda Sarsour
January 9, 2018
David Bedein of the Center For Near East Policy Research asks the question:
Will someone take legal action against UNRWA youth idol Mohammed Assaf ?
UNRWA youth idol Mohammed Assaf sings about murdering Jews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Assaf was brought to the US by Islamic Relief USA, which has strong ties to terrorist organizations.
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Mohammed Assaf in US to raise funds for Palestinian refugees
ARAB NEWS | Published — Monday 4 December 2017
JEDDAH: Palestinian pop singer Mohammed Assaf, who is currently on a US tour, has raised more than $275,000 for Palestinian refugees through the first leg of the tour in Seattle.
The "Promise for Palestine" tour features Assaf and Palestinian-American civil rights activist Linda Sarsour, and is presented by Islamic Relief USA.
"Thanks to my dear fellows in Seattle for your support of your full presence on Sunday. With your generous contributions, we have been able to raise more than $275,000, all of which will go to Palestine refugees," tweeted Assaf, who is also a goodwill ambassador for peace for The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.
In a video posted on Twitter before the Seattle gig, Assaf said: "My greetings to my beloved American community and to America. I just arrived in Seattle. I am glad to make this tour for our friends and families in Palestine. And a special thanks to all those who will attend and to Islamic Relief USA. I am looking forward to seeing you all in my concerts, Insha'Allah."
The fundraising event for Palestine humanitarian aid will span seven cities, giving participants a chance to witness Assaf's live performance.
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Mohammed Assaf : The UNRWA "Peace Ambassador" Who Sings For Terror
July 23, 2014
The UNRWA "Peace Ambassador" Who Sings For Terror
Mohammed Assaf, Arab Idol competition winner, sings a tune whose notes have nothing to do with goodwill or peace. He is a UNRWA alumnus. From David Bedein, Israel Resource News Agency
Beila Rabinowitz co-authored this article.
Mohammed Assaf, the 24 year old UNRWA resident who won the Arab Idol song competition, has become an overnight and worldwide sensation.
His victory song was entitled "Raise Your Keffiyah", a PLO anthem and a favorite of Yasser Arafat (before whom he had performed ), and included such incendiary lyrics as "Most precious homeland, O Palestine, how dear it is, oh Arabs...when we were united the stone was very strong...the full moon rises on martyr (sic) may he rest his soul..."
The song has reverberated with UNRWA and the UN, as the former appointed Assaf their first ever "Regional Youth Ambassador for Palestine Refugees" and "Goodwill Ambassador For Peace". PA President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas called upon Palestinian Arabs to support Assaf in his bid to win the Arab Idol contest and welcomed him as a hero after his victory, hosting him at PA headquarters in Ramallah and designating him an "honorary ambassador".
Assaf's radicalism did not escape the attention of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a letter to United States Secretary of State John Kerry regarding Palestinian incitement undermining peace, the Israeli Prime Minister included a link to one of Mohammed Assaf's songs, performed in Hevron;
"(Linking) to a Youtube video that depicts the popular winner of Arab Idol Muhammad Assaf singing a song at the Barcelona soccer game in Hevron that spoke longingly of Israeli cities within the pre-1967 lines as belonging to Palestine."
Besides his voice and vocal extremism, Mohammed Assaf's claim to fame is that he is a graduate of UNRWA schools, his mother was an UNRWA teacher and he was born in the "refugee" camp of Khan Younis in the now Hamas-controlled Gaza, also under the aegis of UNRWA.
UNRWA Commissionar General Phillipo Grandi welcomed Assaf to his organization's Gaza headquarters and expressed his pride that Assaf was a product of UNRWA camps and schools.
"...Grandi added, "we are all truly proud that a young man who received his education in an UNRWA school in the Khan Younis refugee camp in Gaza and whose family has a long association with UNRWA has emerged onto the world stage to such universal acclaim... "
In Gaza, where Mohammed Assaf grew up, Hamas and UNRWA have reached a modus vivendi in which UNRWA agrees to let Hamas have its way and refrains from interfering with their Islamist agenda - which includes the takeover of the UNRWA workers union by the terrorist group.
"For the moment, Hamas and UNWRA seem to have an agreement that UNRWA may continue to function in Gaza so long as it does not engage in actions that significantly contradict Hamas' world view," one former senior UNRWA official, talking on the condition of anonymity, told Fox News..."
Hamas has also expressed support for Assaf:
According to Al Jazeera: "His songs have even softened the hearts of some members of Hamas, which was reported to have once arrested him for publicly singing pro-Fatah numbers. In the run-up to the reality show's finale, Hamas - which controls Gaza - threw its support behind Assaf, calling him 'an ambassador for Palestinian art'".
Assaf, the Hamas-acclaimed "ambassador of Palestinian art" is also a proponent of Palestinian Arab violence and jihadist propaganda.
In a music video entitled "Ya Halili Ya Mali" which was filmed in the Burej UNRWA "refugee camp", Assaf is wearing a t-shirt with a gold keffiyah emblazoned on it while swinging prayer beads (symbol of the 99 names of Allah) as a slingshot and can be seen at around 29 seconds into the video brandishing a sharp knife. The chorus of the song is reminiscent of those in jihad videos and accompanied by an ominous and militaristic drumbeat.
In his public comments, UNRWA's Goodwill and Peace Ambassador has made no secret of the murderous nationalist aspirations he shares with fellow Palestinian Arabs, like them claiming victim status and faithfully parotting UNRWA's grievance-mongering agenda.
After winning the Arab Idol competition in Lebanon, Assaf stated that:
"A revolution is not just the one carrying the rifle, it is the paintbrush of an artist, the scalpel of a surgeon, the ax of the farmer," he said. "Everyone struggles for their cause in the way they see fit. Today I represent Palestine and today I am fighting for a cause through my art and the message I send out."
In an interview with the UK Guardian he proclaimed:
"I am confident that I will see a free Palestine in my lifetime," he said. "I sing about popular themes but they centre on the hopes of my own people – dreams of independence for the West Bank, for Jerusalem and for Gaza. We've been under Israeli occupation for decades..."
"Unity is the key – Hamas and Fatah should come to an agreement," said Assaf. "It's insane that we effectively have two governments at the same time as being colonized by Israel. It's hugely frustrating for me, and for all Palestinians."
The 'oppressed' Mohammed Assaf, who is in the process of achieving fame and fortune in the United States and Europe, recounted a blood libel to a fawning Palestinian Arab interviewer on The 'Yalla/English' program which claims that Israel is attempting to exterminate the Palestinians, perversely twisting the reality of what they would do to the Jews if they ever had the chance:
"If they (the Israelis) had the opportunity they would get rid of us all. This is unfortunately their will..."
Such incendiary talk is typical of UNRWA's Regional Youth and Goodwill Ambassador, who has also stated "..I can't differentiate between my art and my patriotic attitude."
Assaf condemned the ongoing Israeli "occupation of the West Bank" and the poor living conditions in Gaza. He also stated that prisoner Samer Issawi's long-term hunger strike protest had inspired him. [20]..."
Assaf's Islamist incitement reflects UNRWA's ties to terror-related entities and individuals.While in the United States, he visited the Washington headquarters of Islamic Relief USA, an organization with a documented connection to terrorists and Muslim Brotherhood related groups both in the US and abroad.
One of the main speakers at Islamic Relief USA fundraisers is Professor Hatem Bazian, who called for an intifada in the United States.
IRUSA is a major contributor to UNRWA and funded a school for them in the Askar Camp. Director of UNRWA operations in the West Bank Barbara Shenstone stated :
"UNRWA looks forward to continued partnership with Islamic Relief. We hope that the new school facilities, built to our standards by Islamic Relief, are one of many more projects to be implemented with future generous contributions from Islamic Relief and its affiliate organizations."
Mohammed Assaf's visit to IRUSA's HQ in Washington shows the collaboration between both it and UNRWA, which have been tied to terrorism. In 2006, the UK-based Islamic Relief Worldwide member, Pakistani-born UK national Iyaz Ali was arrested in Israel for assisting Hamas.
In my book "Roadblock to Peace: How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli Conflict: UNRWA Policies Reconsidered", I write about the co-opting of the UNRWA trade unions by Hamas and the scores of suicide bombers and terrorists who have attended or worked at UNRWA schools, illustrating the radical Islamist incitement and indoctrination which is rampant in the UNRWA educational system.
Mohammed Assaf has become UNRWA's poster boy. Commissioner General Phillipi Grandi called him "a child of UNRWA" and the UNRWA website boasted that he will be "bringing the voice of Palestine refugee youth to New York City."
Assaf sang at the UN for Palestine Solidarity Day and told the audience that:
"I would like to remind you of the millions of other Palestine refugees just like me – the young men and women who are not standing here before you today. When we celebrate this International Day of Solidarity, they are the ones we need to remember."
The perpetuation of the myth of Palestinian Arabs as a displaced people who are suffering injustice because of Jews is a canard which is the raison d'etre of UNRWA. It is a vile calumny aimed at instigating violence, delegitimizing the Jewish State and promoting anti-Semitism.
As of now, Mohammed Assaf continues to garner accolades and adoration wherever he goes, spreading hate and aggression to Muslims and Arabs worldwide via his singing and public statements.
His true message can be seen in the knife he brandishes in his "Ya Halili Ya Mali " (What I Have is Mine By Right) video which includes the UNRWA logo in its credits and in the lyrics of his Arab Idol contest-winning song about a "return" to Palestine and glorification of martyrdom in (Ali Al Keffiyah) "Raise Your Keffiyah".
UNRWA's Goodwill and Peace ambassador embodies the organization's real agenda, to perpetuate the illusion of the "right of return" as the reason to allow a fourth generation to wallow in UNRWA refugee camps.
David Bedein is the author of "ROADBLOCK TO PEACE- How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli Conflict: UNRWA policies reconsidered",Beila Rabinowiitz is a veteran research analyst.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15105
9/17/14 Update:
In Mohammed Assaf's latest video"Raise Your Head High" (It Is Your Weapon) he sings of jihad and martyrdom and of "the land being irrigated by blood".
"...The video clip includes Assaf in the recording studio along series of images of Gaza under attack by Israel for the past 12 days.
Assaf sings "Your son Gaza will not be disgraced, Gaza is calling but who is to hear ... Take my blood and give me freedom, My land is from river to sea ..." in reference to historic Palestine that spread from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea until 1948..."
"...Following his winning of Arab Idol, Assaf became a national hero in his home Palestine where he was named ambassador of culture and arts. As Assaf gained unprecedented popularity in the Arab world and internationally, he was named a goodwill ambassador for peace by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)..."
Lyrics:
Lift your head high
It is your weapon
The origin of dignity is humanity
The son of the free land of sun
Your son Gaza will not be disgraced
Gaza is calling
But who's to hear
Gaza calls With the might of those hands
Throw your enemy with stones
And you'll stand in the face of death
We have all the rights
We are all for it
The day the right is regained
We shall sacrifice for its soil
Take my blood and give me freedom
My land is from river to sea
O Gaza present your men
Each one equals a hundred
No matter how intense injustice has come
We will protect the land
It's either victory or martyrdom
The men of this land said
O soil of beloved forgotten land
With precious blood precious you're irrigated
My Land sing your hymn
Stand strong be ready for freedom
Lift your head high
It is your weapon
The origin of dignity is humanity
The son of the free land of sun
Your son Gaza will not be disgraced
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1/6/16 Update Article on Arutz Sheva:
UNRWA Youth Ambassador: 'I spit on Israel'
Mohammed Assaf, winner of 2013 Arab Idol contest, tells Israeli fan: 'I spit on you and Israel.'
Gil Ronen
Mohammed Assaf, the Gazan winner of 2013's Arab Idol contest, was answering questions from fans in a Skype phone-in this week when he received a comment from an Israeli caller who said:
"You should come to Israel...you have Israeli blood," the fan said.
Assaf replied – "I spit on you and Israel" – before going on to answer other fans' questions. It is not clear if the fan was a Jew or an Arab.
"I don't want to talk about this issue too much," Assaf told The New Arab afterward. "The person who said that wanted to provoke me and it's known that the issue of Palestine and the Palestinian people is one of my top priorities."
Blogger Elder of Ziyon noted that in 2013, UNRWA declared Assaf to be its "Youth Ambassador," and announced that he would "promote peace, security and other universal values." Since then, though, he has released music videos and sent out messages on social media that extol terror. UNRWA did not seem to mind, and extended his contract as Youth Ambassador.
Assaf was a wedding singer from Khan Younis when he auditioned for the Arab Idol competition in Cairo and eventually took first place. In the course of the contest he reportedly dedicated his performance to the "shaheeds (martyrs)."
On official PA TV last April, he reprised his winning song from the Idol contest, "Oh Flying Bird." As translated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), the song claims numerous Israeli cities far west of the "green line," including the coastal cities of Haifa and Akko (Acre), as well as Tzfat (Safed), Tiberias, Nazareth and Beit She'an, as part of "beautiful Palestine."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206059#.Vo1t5Ie9KK0
http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/6400
MIM: The "Promise For Palestine Tour" Announcement
Islamic Relief USA is proud to present the Promise for Palestine tour, featuring special guests Mohammed Assaf and Linda Sarsour.
This amazing fundraising event for Palestine Humanitarian Aid will span seven cities, giving participants an exclusive look into the life and times of humanitarian and world renowned entertainer Mohammed Assaf as you have never seen him before: sharing his story, live on stage. Attendees will be treated to a special live performance too!
And if you thought it couldn't get any better—read this: Palestinian American Civil Rights Activist Linda Sarsour, a woman who has dedicated her life to justice and humanity, will be giving a special address in select cities about what a promise for Palestine truly means, and why people like you are so essential to seeing that promise through.
Do not miss your chance to be a part of this historic event. Make the promise to our Palestinian brothers and sisters. Get your tickets now before they are gone!
This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/7634