DAMASCUS, Dec.14 (Xinhua) -- Hazem Sharif, a 21-year-old Syrian singer from the northern city of Aleppo won the Arab Idol TV singing contest airing from Lebanon Saturday night, bringing great joy to his war-inflicted country.
With his incredible voice and confidence, Sharif was crowned as the winner of the third season of Arab Idol in a tough competition against Haitham Khalaileh from Palestine and Majed al-Madani from Saudi Arabia.
The 13-week contest has proved that Sharif was well capable of performing various genres of Arabic music. His brilliant performance and likable personality helped him win the love of the audience and that of his countrymen.
When the Arab Idol finale was airing, Syrians whether at home or in coffee shops and restaurants were feverishly waiting for the results, hoping that his winning could grant them some happiness the civil war has deprived them of.
At the Oriental Club in Damascus, Syrians jumped over their seats and waved the Syrian flags when they saw Sharif winning the championship on TV.
For a moment, that place was filled with joy and excitement, and worries and woes of war were forgotten.
Hadil Ali, one of Sharif's fans, told Xinhua that people "are extremely happy and this joy is for all of the Syrian people who are suffering from this crisis."
Samer Hallaq, another fan of Sharif, said the winning of Sharif brought joy for all of Syria.
"Despite the hard times that we are passing through, we get really happy when we see a Syrian young man taking his country's name high by being an exceptional talent. We are proud of him," said Hallaq.
After the winning announcement, dozens of people came to the streets of Damascus and flocked on the Umayyad Square and nearby roads while holding the Syrian flags and portraits of Sharif.
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