BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shada Hassoon, a charismatic and talented 26-
year-old singer, is doing for Iraq what weary politicians in that
strife-torn country have so far failed to do: unite the fractious
nation.
Hassoon is a contestant representing Iraq on LBC's "Star Academy," a
televised entertainment competition from Lebanon similar to "American
Idol."
She has advanced all the way to the finals and is one of four
contestants left.
On Friday, a winner will be announced, and Hassoon stands a solid
chance of winning, in part because Iraqis have embraced her and are
expected to vote for her in droves.
"You deserve it, you are the star," one fan wrote to Hassoon in a
comment on the Al-Arabiya network's Web site.
"I wish upon all Iraqis abroad and inside Iraq to vote for Shada, and
I wish that all of them unite, and I would like to say one word to the
Arabs and the entire world that Iraqis are brethren no matter what
sect or confession they belong to," the writer added.
Hassoon has mixed national heritage. She was born in Morocco to an
Iraqi father and a Moroccan mother.
But she is regarded as an Iraqi because nationality is based on her
father's country.
She identifies herself as an Iraqi national and says her dream since
childhood has been "to represent my country, Iraq, in arts."
"We voted for Shada without asking if she were a Shiite or a Sunni,"
Hicham Mahmoud Alaazami said on the Al-Arabiya Web site. "We voted for
her just because she is an Iraqi."
Hassoon has been the object of attention in Arabic-language media in
Iraq and across the Arab world.
'Bring joy to the Iraqis' broken hearts'
"Salma the Sudanese" wrote on Al-Arabiya's Web site that "Shada
Hassoon is a great human being and a perfect artist. God willing, she
will be the star and bring joy to the Iraqis' broken hearts."
Salma thinks the singer will bring more happiness to the Iraqis than
the Arab summit this week, "because the Arab summit is nothing but a
show and a photo opportunity, nothing else."
Hassoon's efforts have shared space on Iraqi newspaper front pages
with the daily insurgent attacks, and one Iraqi TV channel is urging
Iraqis to "vote for the daughter of the Euphrates."
Some fans have launched Web sites to support her quest to win.
One Web message from a college student said "we need to collect
donations from the students so we can buy cell phone units cards in
order to vote for Shada. I am working on an ad that I can post in the
university campus. Before I do, can you please send me the correct way
to vote for Shada via text messages?"
In an LBC profile, Hassoon says she joined "Star Academy" because she
loves art and the show and "because it will educate me in the artistic
domain, not to mention fame."
Many people believe star power has its limits. Mohammed Amer Zakaria
wrote Al-Arabiya that he believes "Iraqis can find something else that
can unite them besides 'Star Academy.'"
But Zeina, in her Al-Arabiya posting, is more reflective of the Shada-
mania throughout Iraq. She begs everyone "despite the sad
circumstances in Iraq, please vote for our daughter Shada, the
daughter of the two rivers."
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