Rapper PA Sports spoke up for the people of Iran on Monday (October 17). He uploaded a 15-minute video to Instagram and clarified why he is speaking out and what role Islam plays for him. He is dissatisfied with the reporting in Germany and with how many people behave towards the Iranian regime.
“…and it goes without saying that this practice is absolutely un-Islamic and that this barbaric behavior in the name of Islam should be an insult to any sincere Muslim. Therefore, I do not ask anyone to associate this regime with Islamic compassionate values,” he said of the current government and what it is doing in Iran. And further: “The people of Iran simply want freedom and equality for all people. Men and women just want to live together in freedom, without being forced. They are tired of government coercion and oppression. They want a secular state where everyone can freely choose their religion and practice it.”
Parham Vakili, the real name of the rapper PA Sports, complains: “Why are moral values only defended when it has a political benefit?” and draws attention to the lack of real support for him. He feels the handling of the German government and the public media as hypocritical and double standards.
“You deny these atrocities in order to justify to yourself that you continue to support this government,” he says in an address to those who still stand by the government in Iran and to those who support the uprisings themed around Iran “This is an Islamic republic, and if you live there, you have to respect the Islamic laws.” In Germany you can criticize laws and in Iran you would be made to disappear for it, he goes on to explain.
The rapper Xatar also drew attention to the protests in Iran.
What is happening in Iran?
Masha Amini, also known by her Kurdish name as Zhina Amina, was arrested on September 13 for not wearing her hijab in accordance with the law. She was rushed to a hospital a few hours after her arrest and was pronounced dead on September 16, 2022.
While most suspect police brutality, police say the 22-year-old died of a stroke and heart attack. A CT scan is said to have diagnosed a broken bone in the head.
Since then there have been protests against the Iranian government and the so-called vice police. According to the organization “Iran Human Rights” at least 215 people, including 27 children, are said to have been murdered (as of October 17).
The Guardian quotes one protester as saying: “They have sealed off the city and are slaughtering people with guns and bombs just for demanding freedom.”