Palestinian Techno Queen DJ Sama' Abdulhadi arrested after techno party and Released on Bail
Palestinian techno DJ Sama’ Abdulhadi has been arrested after playing an event at a historical site in the West Bank, located between Jericho and Jerusalem. Afterward, DJ has been released on bail by Palestinian authorities following eight-day detention in a Jericho jail.
Artist News
Published Date - 09 Jan 2021
According to the Italian La Repubblica, “hundreds” of Palestinian youth attended a party Saturday at the Nabi Musa shrine near Jericho, which according to Muslims is built upon the resting site of the prophet Moses. Clips on social media from the techno party provoked outrage and a group that onlookers described as a “mob” from around Palestine converged on Nabi Musa to forcibly shut down the event.
Videos were posted on social media of the event, sparking anger from local Palestinians. This footage, together with reports of partygoers drinking and taking drugs at the holy site, prompted hundreds of people to descend on the party to break it up. Many were also angry with the PA for allowing it to go ahead.
The illegal arrest of Sama occurred after the attack on the Nabi Mousa concert in Jericho by a group of young people, who stopped the concert and threatened the attendees. This attack was followed by a vicious campaign of misinformation on social media, which fueled violent reactions and personal attacks against Sama.
An online petition calling for Abdulhadi’s immediate release has been launched. At the time of writing (30 December) it has over 42,000 signatures.
The petition states that the arrest occurred after “the attack on a private recording for a streamed performance at the Nabi Mousa in Jericho by a group of young people, who stopped the event and threatened the attendees. It adds that yesterday (29 December) a judge decided to extend Abdulhadi’s detention for a further 15 days because “techno music is not part of Palestinian heritage!”
More than 50,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the immediate release of Abdulhadi. She was hosting and performing at an event at the Nabi Musa site as part of a series of four videos commissioned by Beatport. The online music retailer said in a statement that it was "coordinating with Ms. Abdulhadi's family and management team" and hopes that "Ms. Abdulhadi is released as quickly as possible."
She is banned from traveling in the meantime, he added. Sama Abdulhadi is considered by many to be the first Palestinian woman to have become a professional disc jockey and Israeli daily Haaretz has called her the “Palestinian Techno Queen”.
Abdulhadi’s detention led to huge international support for her release from the electronic community of artists and DJs, as well as musical icons like Brian Eno and Roger Waters. A Change.org petition was created asking for her release and has had over 100,000 signatures.
In late 2020, Abdulhadi was commissioned to film a four-part, one-month residency for Beatport with the intention of showcasing the growing music scene in the Middle East.
The third location of the residency took place in the courtyard of a hostel on the property of the Nabi Mussa historical, tourist, and cultural site. It was approved to Abdulhadi in writing by the General Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, she says. The recording was private with a total of 30 friends and working crew in attendance, but it was ended early by a group who burst into the venue and told guests to leave, claiming it wasn’t right for the recording to be taking place in a religious site
Palestinian DJ SAMA’ Released on Bail
DJ, has been released on bail by Palestinian authorities following an eight-day detention in a Jericho jail.
Abdulhadi, who plays as SAMA’, was detained on December 27 following a private event created for a pre-recorded performance series titled The Residency for Beatport. The location for the event, Maqam Nabi Musa in the West Bank, is in part still used as a place of worship but was also declared an attraction for tourists by the Ministry of Tourism in 2019. It’s available for hire, and many non-electronic musical events have taken place there.
Abdulhadi’s detention led to huge international support for her release from the electronic community of artists and DJs, as well as musical icons like Brian Eno and Roger Waters.
She said she had the necessary permits from the ministry of tourism to shoot a film that included techno party scenes. But some religious Palestinian Muslims said the event was "disrespectful". Nabi Musa is considered by them to be the burial place of the Prophet Moses.
Abdulhadi could face up to two years of imprisonment.
“I am safe and well and would like to thank everybody who has spoken out in support of my situation and called for my immediate release,” Abdulhadi said in a statement (via NME). “I am overwhelmed by the support from my fellow musicians, artists, activists and the entire music community. I want to thank anybody and everybody who has made me feel so supported. At this moment, I just want to spend time with my family.”
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Artist News
Published Date - 09 Jan 2021
According to the Italian La Repubblica, “hundreds” of Palestinian youth attended a party Saturday at the Nabi Musa shrine near Jericho, which according to Muslims is built upon the resting site of the prophet Moses. Clips on social media from the techno party provoked outrage and a group that onlookers described as a “mob” from around Palestine converged on Nabi Musa to forcibly shut down the event.
Videos were posted on social media of the event, sparking anger from local Palestinians. This footage, together with reports of partygoers drinking and taking drugs at the holy site, prompted hundreds of people to descend on the party to break it up. Many were also angry with the PA for allowing it to go ahead.
The illegal arrest of Sama occurred after the attack on the Nabi Mousa concert in Jericho by a group of young people, who stopped the concert and threatened the attendees. This attack was followed by a vicious campaign of misinformation on social media, which fueled violent reactions and personal attacks against Sama.
An online petition calling for Abdulhadi’s immediate release has been launched. At the time of writing (30 December) it has over 42,000 signatures.
The petition states that the arrest occurred after “the attack on a private recording for a streamed performance at the Nabi Mousa in Jericho by a group of young people, who stopped the event and threatened the attendees. It adds that yesterday (29 December) a judge decided to extend Abdulhadi’s detention for a further 15 days because “techno music is not part of Palestinian heritage!”
More than 50,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the immediate release of Abdulhadi. She was hosting and performing at an event at the Nabi Musa site as part of a series of four videos commissioned by Beatport. The online music retailer said in a statement that it was "coordinating with Ms. Abdulhadi's family and management team" and hopes that "Ms. Abdulhadi is released as quickly as possible."
She is banned from traveling in the meantime, he added. Sama Abdulhadi is considered by many to be the first Palestinian woman to have become a professional disc jockey and Israeli daily Haaretz has called her the “Palestinian Techno Queen”.
Abdulhadi’s detention led to huge international support for her release from the electronic community of artists and DJs, as well as musical icons like Brian Eno and Roger Waters. A Change.org petition was created asking for her release and has had over 100,000 signatures.
In late 2020, Abdulhadi was commissioned to film a four-part, one-month residency for Beatport with the intention of showcasing the growing music scene in the Middle East.
The third location of the residency took place in the courtyard of a hostel on the property of the Nabi Mussa historical, tourist, and cultural site. It was approved to Abdulhadi in writing by the General Director of the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, she says. The recording was private with a total of 30 friends and working crew in attendance, but it was ended early by a group who burst into the venue and told guests to leave, claiming it wasn’t right for the recording to be taking place in a religious site
Palestinian DJ SAMA’ Released on Bail
DJ, has been released on bail by Palestinian authorities following an eight-day detention in a Jericho jail.
Abdulhadi, who plays as SAMA’, was detained on December 27 following a private event created for a pre-recorded performance series titled The Residency for Beatport. The location for the event, Maqam Nabi Musa in the West Bank, is in part still used as a place of worship but was also declared an attraction for tourists by the Ministry of Tourism in 2019. It’s available for hire, and many non-electronic musical events have taken place there.
Abdulhadi’s detention led to huge international support for her release from the electronic community of artists and DJs, as well as musical icons like Brian Eno and Roger Waters.
She said she had the necessary permits from the ministry of tourism to shoot a film that included techno party scenes. But some religious Palestinian Muslims said the event was "disrespectful". Nabi Musa is considered by them to be the burial place of the Prophet Moses.
Abdulhadi could face up to two years of imprisonment.
“I am safe and well and would like to thank everybody who has spoken out in support of my situation and called for my immediate release,” Abdulhadi said in a statement (via NME). “I am overwhelmed by the support from my fellow musicians, artists, activists and the entire music community. I want to thank anybody and everybody who has made me feel so supported. At this moment, I just want to spend time with my family.”
