Middle East & Africa | An anti-ayatollah anthem

Iran’s repressive regime is being rocked by a song

“Baraye” lists 28 reasons why clerical rule is uncool

Iran schools

The protests against the shah of Iran were in their infancy in the autumn of 1978 when Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, a famous singer, stirred the hearts of millions with a song called “Jaleh Khoon Shod” (“The dew turned to blood”). It became an anthem of the revolution that soon toppled the monarch. “Bring down the reign of madness,” he crooned.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A protest song rocks a theocracy”

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