ABC News: For Iraqis, an Idol to Rival Sanjaya

It was a contest that captivated a nation.

In Iraq, it was a reason to celebrate and escape the daily grind of violence and car-bombs as Shada Hassoon, the Iraqi contestant in this year's Star Academy competition, won first prize in an emotional finale on the Middle East's version of "American Idol."

As the announcement was made, Hassoon burst into joyful tears and proudly draped herself in the Iraqi flag as the presenters adorned her with flowers and fans besieged the stage to worship their star.

The 26-year-old singer, nicknamed the "Daughter of Mesopotamia," was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and was educated in Paris. Hassoon is only half Iraqi — her mother is Moroccan and her father is from Hilla, a town 60 miles south of Baghdad, and is a member of a mixed Sunni-Shiite tribe. In the Middle East, nationality is determined by the father.