Ibrahim Qashoush

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Ibrahim Qashoush (

After news of his murder spread and due to reports from other demonstrators, Qashoush began to be celebrated as the "nightingale of the revolution," a martyr, and a symbolic figure of the revolution both within Syria and internationally.^[2][9] All over the world, writers guilds, among other organizations, demonstrated against the murder of the protest singer by making public statements.^[10][11] The case became so prominent that, in a rare, exclusive interview in December 2011, American television journalist Barbara Walters addressed Qashoush directly with President Assad. Assad responded that he had never heard of Qashoush.^[12] Even the annual report of the U.S. Department of State on the state of human rights in Syria, published in the spring of 2012, mentioned Qashoush as a singer who was tortured and murdered by a police officer as revenge for his protest songs.^[13] As such, Qashoush also began to be discussed in academic literature.^[14]

Syrian authorities contradicted the account of Qashoush as a protest singer murdered by members of an intelligence agency, which began to spread in activist circles, and stated that he had nothing to do with the song, but rather had been working as an informant and that his murder by an unknown entity was being used to instigate further violence.^[15] In 2012, the blog The Truth About Syria referred to statements given by an oppositionist from Hama, who had confessed in prison and spoke on camera about Qashoush, among other things.^[16]

Later clarification by Abdel Rahman Farhood

In a magazine article released in the United Kingdom in 2016, exiled Syrian opposition activist Abdel Rahman Farhood confessed his identity as the real author and singer of the protest song attributed to Qashoush.^[1] According to him, in July 2011, he himself learned from the media that the singer of Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar! was found murdered. As a result, it was inadvisable for him to contradict this account, which had apparently been accepted by revolutionaries and government loyalists alike. He never knew Qashoush and, like everyone else, did not know who Qashoush was or who killed him.^[1] As early as July 2011, the New York Times portrayed Farhood as the song's writer and at least occasional singer.^[2] In 2012, the blog The Truth About Syria also identified Farhood as the author and singer of Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar!^[16]

Musical appreciation

In February 2012, Malek Jandali, a pianist of Syrian origin, released a musical work based on the melody of Yalla Erhal Ya Bashar! and named it "Freedom (Qashoush Symphony)".^[17][18]

External links

• James Harkin: The incredible story behind the Syrian protest singer everyone thought was dead (GQ Magazine, December 7, 2016, accessed on December 9, 2016)
• Anthony Shadid: Lyrical Message for Syrian Leader: "Come on, Bashar, leave!" in: New York Times from July 21, 2011

References