5 Arab drag queens who are fierce AF

Some may assume drag and cross-dressing were recently introduced in Arab countries, but rumor has it, the legendary Umm Kulthum began her singing career disguised as a Bedouin boy.

Although the "Star of the East" dressing up as a young boy isn't exactly the same as drag, it demonstrates that Arabs have long been challenging traditional assumptions about gender through the way they present themselves publicly.

Many historians trace the cross-dressing trend within the Middle East and North Africa to the height of the Ottoman Empire, with Kocek (boys who danced and sang in female dress) and Cengi (girls who did the same in a male dress) being popular entertainers as far back as the 16th century.

Today, as RuPaul's Drag Race and many famous queens proudly shine in the limelight, they are building on a tradition that Middle Easterners have long been a part of.

Here's a look at some modern-day Arab queens who deserve your attention, and a round of applause for being simply fabulous.

The way Amrou Al-Kadhi sees it, "you have not met a drag queen until you’ve spent time with many of the Middle Eastern women in Harrods!"

Himself a proud Iraqi-British queer drag queen, Al-Kadhi credits his Arab mother as being one of the major inspirations behind his drag performance. 

"As much as my mother has been so hostile to my queer life, she’s one of my queer icons," Al-Kadhi told StepFeed last July.

A queer drag queen wasn't exactly what Al-Kadhi's parents and family had envisioned for his future, but he said they now "choose to ignore it as one big pink elephant in the room and try and get on as much as we can."

"They’ve never been great about it, but they’re not terrible. They just refuse to talk about it," he said.

Fortunately, Al-Kadhi has found acceptance and support from his twin brother.

"I’m thankfully very close to my twin brother, who is very supportive and proud of my work, which means a lot!"

Recently, Al-Kadhi sealed a six-figure book deal to publish his memoir, Unicorn.

Growing up and living in Brooklyn, New York, for 23 years, Anya Kneez (stage name) moved back to Lebanon with her family in 2012. 

Although she admits she struggles with conservative values that make it more difficult for her to live her lifestyle, Kneez has a found a space for herself in Beirut's burgeoning queer scene.

Kneez' best friend, Mohamad Abdouni, made a short documentary about her called A Queen in Beirut, which was released last year.

"Locally Anya played a huge part in making it okay to come out in your own colors and feathers and just do your thing," Abdouni said in an interview with Elle about the film.

Lebanon's Bassem Feghali stands out as one of the most prominent drag queens within the Arab world. 

Through recreating legendary singers such as Sabah and Fairouz, as well as modern divas including Haifa Wehbe, Elissa, and Nancy Ajram, Feghali uses his performance to make audiences laugh, while also subtly challenging societal notions of gender.

Clutching a rock in her hand, she stood on a Tel Aviv street back in 2008 wearing a bloodied wedding dress and sang loudly: "Let the jails' doors be destroyed."

"Let this madness be defeated, and let anyone who betrays us become stones," The Bride belted out as confused Israelis passed by, McClatchy reported at the time.

The Bride is a gay Palestinian drag queen living under Israeli rule. Oppressed by conservative society on one side, he is also forced to face the cruel reality of living as a second-class citizen in his native land each day.

"My fight is through my art," he said.

Part of a group of Palestinian drag queens that met on a regular basis in underground clubs, The Bride was considered to be one of the most popular performers due to her fierce politically charged routines.

A former competitor on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, Jay Rivera aka Aja has Moroccan, African-American and French heritage, although she was adopted by a Puerto Rican family.

Rivera's drag name was inspired by the 1982 Bollywood movie "Disco Dancer."  One of the songs in the film is titled "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja." Ever since hearing those lyrics, the name just kind of stuck.

Aja also went on to compete in RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Season 3. Although she didn't win either competition, she definitely left an impression. In 2016, she went on to win the award for Drag Queen of the Year at the 4th Annual Brooklyn Nightlife Awards.