Shahin Najafi Professions : MusicianBorn : September 10, 1980 Browse All Authors Top 12 quotes by Shahin Najafi The future belongs to us. I think that art is a force that can change the world. Shahin Najafi worldartthinking Nothing is allowed in public, while everything is permitted behind closed doors. Shahin Najafi behind-closed-doorsclosed-doorsdoors I believe in freedom, I'm for a world without borders. But that's an ideal. On a practical level, I'm for a secular state where religion only plays a minor role. Shahin Najafi bordersplaybelieve Iran is hard to understand. Although it is ruled in an authoritarian manner, it's not a state in which everything is controlled from one center. There are many forces that work in parallel: the military, the intelligence service, the Revolutionary Guard, the clergy and the government. They all share a fear of the nation's youth. Shahin Najafi irangovernmentmilitary The most important element of democracy, I believe, is the protection of minorities. Shahin Najafi democracyimportantbelieve My family thought if I spent time in the military, I'd become more reasonable, a bit calmer. But I've always been extreme in what I do - both as a believer and a nonbeliever. Shahin Najafi believermy-familymilitary I trained to become a professional Koran singer, from the age of 14 until I was 18. This involved learning Arabic harmony, breathing techniques, all of the things that this entails. And, of course, it involved studying the Koran. Shahin Najafi breathingtechniqueage Fundamentalists can't take a joke. Ever. They want us to blindly obey, parrot everything they do, and believe in their dogmas. Shahin Najafi dogmawantbelieve I lived in the world of poetry and ideas. I thought life was all about art and philosophy. In the military, I suddenly found out about the real world. Shahin Najafi militaryphilosophyart I was a very devout boy and one day I heard the music of an Egyptian Koran singer in the mosque. The melancholy of this music touched me so deeply that it brought me to tears. Shahin Najafi one-daytearsboys I'm a musician; I have to perform. I can't give up. I have to be even more courageous. We know that we have a lot of enemies. Not only in Iran. But that doesn't matter. Shahin Najafi irangiving-upenemy I actually don't like hip hop much; the music is too clichéd, the subculture, especially the macho strutting of gangsta rappers, isn't my thing. But, at the same time, rap is a simple, direct and strong musical language. Shahin Najafi rapstrongsimple Similar Authors Adam Jones musician Izzy Stradlin musician Bon Scott musician Brad Delp musician Brad Delson musician Brian Eno musicianAll Authors
