July 29, 2007 A victory for the Iraqi people

Congratulations to Iraq on their 1-0 victory to claim the Asian Cup.

Following article was published by the New York Times. Enjoy the music.

July 29, 2007, 8:20 am
A Pre-Match Music Video

By The New York Times

Here are the lyrics to the song in this video, El Youm Yomak Ya Iraqi, or “This Is Your Day, Iraqi,” by Hussam al Rassam:

This is your day O Iraqi
You are the man with a sense of honor
Play, play and make your opponent in constant bewilderment
Your father, mother, brothers are all waiting for your victory
Your sweetheart will boast among the beautiful girls of your neighborhood
All Iraqis eyes are watching you; the flag is waving in your hand
Victory is always for us, and we won’t accept anything else

The singer, Hussam Mahmood Hashim, was born in 1978 in Hilla, with seven brothers and two sisters. He graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts (painting department) in 1996, and that is why he is nicknamed ‘al-Rassam’, which means the painter. He then studied the lute in the same institute and graduated in 2003.

Al-Rassam left Iraq, with many other artists (he happens to be a Shiite), because of the poor security situation and particularly because Islamic extremists carried out a wave of killing actors, singers, and artists. He took part in a youth song festival in Algiers in 2001 and won his first award. Al-Rassam is well known for his folkloric and national-themed songs.