Congratulations are in order. Palestinian pop star Mohammed Assaf tied the knot in a surprise ceremony in the UAE and fans are still processing the news.
Regional heart-throb Assaf married 22-year-old Reem Ouda, whose father is from Gaza and whose mother is from Denmark, according to reports.
The ‘Arab Idol’ alum stunned his fans when short clips from his wedding surfaced online this month. He urged people to stop engaging with fake social media accounts claiming to belong to his wife.
Speaking to MBC Trending, Assaf reiterated how important it is for his private life to remain private, even as he shared his joy over “marrying my dear life partner, Reem.”
“Everyone knows I am extremely protective of my private life and its details … This is why, I ask of everyone to please respect my wishes, and my freedom, to not share my private life through the news media and social media,” said Assaf.
He added that there are many people who are sharing false accounts claiming to be Assaf’s new wife.
“There are no private accounts for my wife on social media. These are all fake. A lot of the photos are not of my wife. Please do not interact with these accounts,” he said.
Assaf said he would have “loved to share the news from the beginning.”
“But we all know the difficult circumstances that the world is going through due to the coronavirus and the rules of social distancing, particularly in the UAE, where I held my wedding,” he added.
He also was aware of the painful circumstances in Lebanon and extended his condolences to the citizens of Beirut who suffered a fatal explosion.
Who is Reem Ouda?
There is little confirmed news about the identity of Assaf’s wife; even when referring to her, Assaf withheld her last name and simply called her Reem.
Regional publications report that Ouda’s father is from Gaza, Assaf’s birthplace, and that Assaf apparently met her in Denmark, possibly while he was on tour.
In most of the pictures circulating online, Ouda looks to have long brow hair and blue eyes. However, Gulf News was not able to confirm the veracity of these images.
Assaf, who is less than three weeks from his 31st birthday, has yet to share an official image with his wife.
