Palestinian singer running to represent Iceland at Eurovision contest
Al Jazeera
Bashar Murad said he wants to use his song to ‘illustrate’ the difficulties Palestinians face in order to be heard.
Palestinian pop singer Bashar Murad is hoping to represent Iceland at the Eurovision Song Contest in May and bring “a Palestinian voice to the main stage”.
Iceland is expected to pick its contestant on Saturday for the annual song competition, which is being held in the Swedish city of Malmo.
Murad is competing in the national final with a song co-written by Einar Stefansson of the Icelandic band Hatari, known for raising a banner showing Palestinian flags during the 2019 Eurovision Contest.
While the competition bills itself as a non-political event and can disqualify those it considers to be in breach of the rule, the global political backdrop frequently weighs in on decisions.
In 2022, Russia was banned from participating in the contest after several countries called for its removal due to its invasion of Ukraine.
