I’m An Arab, Muslim & Am Proud of It: King of Rai Khaled
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“The artist's duty is to carry a message of love and peace and use his God-given gift to carry out humanitarian action," says Khaled
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AMMAN
, July 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - "I am an Arab, a
Muslim and I am proud of it," king of rai music Khaled said after
a two-hour concert in
Jordan
that kept the crowd on its feet.
Khaled’s
announcement – seen as an apology by some – followed strong
criticism in
Jordan
and accusations of "normalization with
Israel
" after he appeared in concert in May with an Israeli singer.
On
the site of the ancient Citadel, with the remains of an Ummayad palace
and Roman columns as background and
Amman
at its feet, the Algerian singer entertained an enthusiastic audience
of around 2,000 people Thursday night, July 18, Agence France-Presse
(AFP) reported.
Hopping
on the stage with crutches because of a sprained ankle, Khaled made
many fans leave their chairs and move up to the stage to clap and
dance to the rhythms of rai.
Leaders
of
Jordan
's unions had called for a boycott of the concert, accusing Khaled of
"normalization with
Israel
" because he appeared in concert in May with Yemeni Jew Israeli
singer Noa.
The
pair topped the bill at a
Rome
concert in May dedicated to
Middle East
peace and attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and
Mohammed Rashid, an adviser to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
"I
am not a politician, I am an artist and the artist's duty is to carry
a message of love and peace and use his God-given gift to carry out
humanitarian action," Khaled told a press conference after the
show.
Commenting
on criticism of his performance with Noa as a "bad apple" he
said: "You shouldn't throw out the whole basket because of one
bad apple."
Khaled
stressed that “music is a fabulous medium to pass that message [love
and peace] on."
Of
his future projects, he said he is planning a collaboration with
U.S.
musician Quincy Jones, whom he met during a tour of the
United States
after the September 11 terror attacks.
"When
I left
Algeria
in 1986, my dream was to conquer
Europe
. Now my dream is to conquer the
United
States
with my music," Khaled said.
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