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Morteza Najafipour Moghadam (; born 1980), better known as Shahin Najafi (), is an Iranian musician, singer, composer, poet, author, and political activist. Najafi's songs mostly deal with issues such as
theocracy Theocracy is a form of autocracy or oligarchy in which one or more deity, deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries, with executive and legislative power, who manage the government's ...
, poverty,
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
,
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
,
child labor Child labour is the exploitation of children through any form of work that interferes with their ability to attend regular school, or is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such exploitation is prohibited by legislation w ...
,
execution Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering that an offender be punished in ...
,
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
and
homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
. In interviews, he has stated that he strives to use poetic, literary, philosophical, and political elements in his music.


Early life

Shahin Najafi was born in 1980 in
Bandar-e Anzali Bandar-e Anzali () is a city on the Caspian Sea in the Central District of Bandar-e Anzali County, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district. History Anzali is an old city in ancient Iran, first s ...
, Iran. When he was six years old, his father died, and later his brother became a drug addict and also died. He began writing poetry as a teenager and began learning the guitar in the classical and
flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
styles at the age of 18. He then became an underground artist in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, performing in both rock and
Spanish music Spanish music may refer to: *Music of Spain, music of the Spanish people in Spain *Latin music, though note that not all Latin music are in Spanish ''Spanish music'' may also refer to the music of Spanish-speaking countries: *Music of Argentina * ...
styles, working with various bands. He studied sociology at the University of Gilan and openly expressed his opinions about the university, leading to his getting expelled.


Music career


Immigration to Germany

Before he immigrated to Germany, Najafi was the head of an underground music band in
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. Still, he was banned for his offenses towards the Islamic faith in Iran by the Islamic republic government after his second music show. He was also the head of the Inan music band in Germany. Then he joined the Tapesh 2012 music band. Tapesh 2012 were welcomed by Persian broadcasters and the international media by political and social songs and poems of Najafi. An article published in No. 19194 of the conservative newspaper '' Kayhan'' on 29 September 2008 criticized Tapesh 2012's activities. ''Kayhan'' published the article titled ''Establishing democracy with drum & circle''. A part of it goes as follows:


Release of first studio album

On 1 May 2008, Najafi released his first studio album, ''Ma mard nistim'' (We Are Not Men), with the partnership and composition of the Tapesh 2012 music band. This album was his official and professional beginning in Persian hip hop music. The album attracted the audience and listener more than before it was released in Persian hip hop style.


Separation from Tapesh 2012

Najafi ended cooperation with Tapesh 2012 at the beginning of 2009. Various reasons have been proposed related to his separation from this group. The main reason is releasing the "Around us" single song on
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
TV without permission. The supervisor of Tapesh 2012 later apologized to Najafi and stated: the song had been inadvertently released in
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...
TV. Najafi accepted the apology.


Reaction to the 2009 Iranian presidential election

After the Iranian election protests, Najafi released a single named ''Neda'' in July 2009 dedicated to
Neda Agha-Soltan Neda Agha-Soltan ( – ''Nedā Āghā-Soltān''; 23 January 1983 – 20 June 2009) was an Iranian student of philosophy, who was participating in the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests, 2009 presidential election protests with ...
, an activist killed during the protests. He released his second studio album titled '' Tavahhom'' (Illusion) on 19 September 2009 by the German-Iranian publishing house "Pamas-Verlag". In this album, several songs are about the intense protests against the Islamic republic government and the political oppression after the presidential election. It can be cited as "Vaghti khoda have (When God is asleep)" through these songs. The song's lyrics protest the 2009 Iran poll protests trial, militia violence, the use of torture on prisoners, and the Supreme Leader of Islamic republic regime.


Formation of Antikarisma

He formed a new rock band Antikarisma band in January 2010. The new band, Antikarisma, consists of Najafi, Babak Khazaei, Armin Mostaed, and Pejman Afshari, who live in Germany.


Fatwas and death threats

Following the release of the song "Ay Naghi!" ("Hey, Naghi!"), Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, a then 93-year-old
Shi’ite Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...
cleric based in
Qom Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...
, issued a
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
death sentence against Najafi for
apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...
.
*
*
*
*
*
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, a "source of emulation" for many
Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Muslims, also issued a
fatwa A fatwa (; ; ; ) is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist ('' faqih'') in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government. A jurist issuing fatwas is called a ''mufti'', ...
declaring Najafi guilty of
apostasy Apostasy (; ) is the formal religious disaffiliation, disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is contrary to one's previous re ...
. As of 15 May 2012, more than 800 people in Islamic republic regime had joined a Facebook campaign calling for Najafi to be executed, saying they were ready to assassinate him if necessary. An Islamic republic regime web site, Shia-Online.ir, offered a US$100,000 bounty to anyone who killed Najafi. In May 2012, the online site HonareNab.ir posted an online "Shoot the Apostates" flash computer game inviting people to shoot and kill Najafi. "Those who love Imam Hadi can practice killing Shahin Najafi by playing this flash game," said Honar Nab Eslam, who developed the game. On 25 May 2012, Shiite cleric Ahmad Alamolhoda demanded a plan to execute Najafi. In June 2012, forty authors of the Rah-e Nikan religious publishing house promised to give royalties from their books to whoever killed Najafi. The song has drawn sharp anger from protesters who believe it is offensive towards Imam Naghi, the 10th Imam in Shi’ite Islam. In an interview, Najafi stated that he was inspired by " The Campaign to Remind Shiites about Imam Naghi" to compose the song. The campaign is a Facebook page that pokes fun at Islamic, and specifically Shi'ite,
hadith Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...
s, with members creating fake, funny hadiths and stories centered around a fictional character named Naghi, who is based on Imam Naghi.


2012 US tour

Najafi started a United States tour in 2012, starting with a talk on 30 September and later a concert on 16 November at
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
, events sponsored by the Iranian Student Alliance in the United States of America. He continued the tour in
UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Sc ...
on 18 November.


Political and social activities

In addition to individual work in his concerts and campaign songs, Najafi had many performances on various political and social occasions. In October 2008, he had a music show at the "Peace Conference" in Germany. In August 2009, with some poets and writers in shows of ""Night of Solidarity with the liberation struggle"", Najafi had a protest rock show in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Sweden. In December 2009, coinciding with "Student Day" in Iran, Najafi with Ziba Shirazi had a protest music show at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
, Washington, D.C.


Discography


Albums

* '' Hich Hich Hich'' (2012) * ''
Tramadol Tramadol, sold under the brand name Tramal among others, is an opioid analgesic, pain medication and a serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) used to treat moderately severe pain. When taken by mouth in an immediate-release form ...
'' (2013) * ''Sade'' (2015) * ''Radikal'' (2017) * ''Jens Sevom'' (2019) * ''Sigma'' (2022)


EPs

* '' 1414'' (2014) * ''Chel'' (2020)


Live

* ''Meta Phrygian'' (2017)


Instrumental

* ''The Sacred and The Violence'' (2019)


Single tracks

* ''Istadeh Mordan'' (2012) * ''Too Halgham'' (2012) * ''Sha'aban'' (2013) * ''Amoo Norooz'' (2014) * ''Bbbbc'' (2014) * ''Salam'' (2014) * ''Proletariat'' (2015) * ''Ay Leili'' (2016) * ''Shahinam'' (2016) * ''Abi'' (2017) * ''Beh Name To'' (2018) * ''Barkhiz'' (2018) * ''Ba Mohayam'' (2018) * ''Masikh'' (2019) * ''Bawaasir'' (2019) * ''Aman'' (2019) ft. Hamed Nikpay * ''Tabar'' (2019) * ''Shivan'' (2019) * ''Seyl'' (2020) * ''Akharin Booseh'' (2020) ft. Babak Amini * ''Tamam'' (2020) * ''Parvaz'' (2021) ft. Babak Amini * ''Dictatorie Amameh'' (2021) * ''Iran'' (2021) ft. Golrokh Aminian * ''Pedar'' (2021) * ''Maryam'' (2021) * ''Hashtadia'' (2022) * ''Sobhe Entegham'' (2022) * ''Shah'' (2023) * ''Enhedam'' (2023) * ''Kafan'' (2023) * ''ADHD'' (2024) (The Shah & Hand)


Movie

Till Schauder released a documentary called '' When God Sleeps'' based on the life of Najafi, with the production of Sara Nodjoumi. ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' puts it in a report on the film between the 23 films at the
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
. The film is made in 88 minutes in German, Persian, and English, and is amid a 2015 terrorist attack. The film is about the details of Shahin's life and, in general, the fatwa of apostasy and life under the shadow of this fatwa.


Books

* ''When the God is Asleep'' * ''Azazel'' * ''Bitrex'' * ''Tara Ensan''


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Najafi, Shahin 1980 births Living people Former Muslim critics of Islam Iranian atheists Iranian activists Iranian blues singers Iranian male writers Iranian rappers Iranian rock musicians Iranian songwriters 21st-century Iranian guitarists Iranian hip-hop musicians People from Bandar-e Anzali Iranian emigrants to Germany 21st-century Iranian male singers People convicted of apostosy in Iran Iranian political music artists