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"To Iranians at home and abroad, the death of the country?s most revered classical music singer, Mohammad Reza Shajarian, reverberated like the death of a rock or pop star in the West."

"After learning that he died Oct. 8 at age 80 at a hospital in Tehran, tens of thousands took to the streets of Iran?s capital to weep, mourn and sing his songs of love and peace. Angered that his music had been banned by the country?s Islamic regime, they also chanted anti-government slogans, including 'death to the dictator'.... Security forces arrived on motorcycles, swinging batons at crowds until they dispersed.... Mr. Shajarian was known as an ostad, or master, of traditional Persian music.... Mr. Shajarian typically used subtle metaphors and poetic allegories in his verses, and he rarely ventured into politics. But in 2009, he surprised many of his fans by speaking out against the government he had long supported, siding with demonstrators who challenged election results that led to ultraconservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?s second term.... As security forces wielded batons and tear gas against protesters, Mr. Shajarian turned a work of Persian poetry into an anthem of resistance, singing 'Language of Fire and Iron' by Fereydoon Moshiri. 'Lay down your gun,' he pleaded, 'as I hate this very abnormal shedding of blood. The gun in your hand speaks the language of fire and iron. .?.?. Come, sit down, talk, hear. Perhaps the light of humanity will get through to your heart, too.' When Ahmadinejad labeled the protesters 'dust and trash,' Mr. Shajarian responded by telling the BBC: 'I am the voice of dust and trash, and [my voice] will always belong to dust and trash.'... 'My music has always been entirely connected to what happens in Iran,' he told German writer and Persia expert Marian Brehmer in 2011. 'The poems I choose to perform reflect our social history. My songs speak of people?s lives. I get my inspiration from the people. I need to be among them. Or else I wouldn?t be able to sing. I think of people?s longings.... Humanity should rule the world, not religion, nationalism or ideology. Humanity is the aim of all arts.'"

Full post as published by Althouse on October 12, 2020 (boomark / email).