The Courtyard Cafe hosted Hobson Jobson, the hip-hop duo of renowned Arab artists Omar Offendum and Yassin “The Narcicyst” Alsalman, on Thursday for a concert to bring awareness to the third anniversary of the Syrian conflict.

The concert also featured a performance from student a capella group The Other Guys, as well as speakers from charity groups such as Syria Relief and Development and the Syrian American Medical Society.

The concert, Hip Hop for Hope, filled the Courtyard Cafe with a diverse, high-energy crowd of University students, many of whom have family in or are from Syria themselves.

Following a performance from The Other Guys, a representative from Syria Relief and Development presented a music video created by the charity depicting the violence in Syria.

The representative also discussed the organization’s mission, provided statistics about the conflict and encouraged the audience to donate to their charity or others to help end the conflict.

A representative from the Syrian American Medical Society spoke to the audience after the Syria Relief and Development presentation.

Syrian American Medical Society, a non-governmental organization comprised of volunteers and medical professionals operating across the Middle East, talked to the crowd about the work it has done to help tens of thousands of Syrians receive vital medical and psychological treatment.

Once the society speaker finished delivering her information, Omar Offendum and Yassin “The Narcicyst” Alsalman took the stage to begin their set.

The artists performed solo tracks as well as collaborations in both Arabic and English, the majority of which centered around Syria and the widespread unrest in the Middle East. From the soulful song “Sumeria” to the activist anthem “Free Syria,” each Hobson Jobson song was received with cheers and applause.

Many in the audience were singing along with the tunes or high-fiving the performers — one fan even surfed along the front of the crowd.

The concert was hosted by the University chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Arab Student Association. Both organizations seek to integrate Arab culture into the University as well as create a more politically active Muslim-American student body.

“We want to integrate Arab culture more on campus, and this is a big part of it,” said Syrian student Noor Qaddour, Arab Student Association event coordinator and sophomore in LAS.

Both student organizations want to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in Syria rather the politics of the conflict itself. Zahra Siddiqui, president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and junior in LAS, believes that music is an effective way to do just that.

“It’s a different way to approach the problem,” Siddiqui said. “We want to make (the conflict) personable to people and we want to find a different way to connect to people’s souls. We thought music would be the perfect way to do that.”

The civil war in Syria is now almost in its third year, with casualties estimated to be between 100,000 and 140,000 dead in addition to another estimated 2.4 million Syrians who are now refugees.

Western nations are hesitant to get involved in the conflict, since the superpowers of Russia and China both back the Syrian government, headed by hereditary dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

“Everyone who is Syrian has been personally affected,” said Syrian student Lina Al-Chaar, event coordinator for the Arab Student Association and Council on American-Islamic Relations and junior in LAS.

Al-Chaar, the Arab Student Association and Hobson Jobson want University students to educate themselves about the situation in Syria so they can do their part to raise awareness about the humanitarian crisis the nation faces as well as recognize that what happens in Syria matters in the US.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Al-Chaar said.

“Everything that happened in Syria will affect us and has affected us in North America,” Asalman said. “To see what is happening in Syria right now is heartbreaking. Not just as an Arab or as a Muslim. As a human being, to see the level of destruction is disturbing. Be aware, educate yourself, and spread the word. Don’t just take the bleeps or ad-libs on TV; really go research how complicated it is.”

Josh can be reached at [email protected].