"I dream of Annalena Baerbock cutting her hair"

WORLD: You covered the song by Iranian Shervin Hajipour, which was composed from online comments by demonstrators, with your own version, which was viewed over a million times on social media within two days. How does an Israeli-Jewish rapper end up singing for the people of Iran?

Ben Solomon: I think that's very obvious. Precisely because of my Jewish background, my family taught me to respect other religions and cultures. When I read about the assassination of Jina Mahsa Amini, I was very upset. Why do you kill an innocent woman because of a strand of hair sticking out of her headscarf? This is incomprehensible. When I then heard the song "Baraye" by the Iranian musician Shervin Hajipour, it really touched me. The fact that shortly afterwards he was put in prison and possibly tortured stunned me - I couldn't sleep all night.

WORLD: How did it go then?

Ben Salomo: I just felt that I couldn't remain idle. Within a few days, based on his song, I wrote my own lyrics in German called "I dream". (“Baraye” in Farsi means “for”, i.e.). We then recorded the piece in the studio, filmed it with our cell phone in front of a picture of Shervin Hajipour and posted it on Instagram. I wanted to support the freedom struggle of the people in Iran and also motivate more people in Germany to stand up for the rights of the people there. My concern is to draw attention to the suffering and courage of the local people.

WORLD: And what do you dream of in your song?

Ben Solomon: Of the Iranian regime being overthrown. That people can live freely. That they can hold hands and dance or sing songs in the street without going to jail. That Germany stops seeing Iran uncritically as a trading partner, but as what it is: an inhuman regime. I'm not a politician, but even if there are economic interests, that's enough by now. We need much more drastic measures and a new strategy that takes the interests of the freedom movement into account.

WORLD: Your video had over a million views within 48 hours. How were the reactions in view of the fact that you, as an Israeli, are actually considered the number one enemy of the state in Iran?

Ben Solomon: Ninety-nine percent of the responses were overwhelmingly positive. I received messages from many German-Iranians who thanked me for supporting their compatriots. They then translated my song into English and Persian, after which I received countless messages from desperate people in Iran.

WORLD: And what do these people tell you?

Ben Salomo: That for decades they have felt alone and abandoned and not seen and that we must not stop making their voices heard and that they are very grateful to me. The people of Iran are so brave - and desperate - that they are risking their lives. But they need our support. Small gestures mean the world to the people of Iran.

WORLD: And how do people react to the fact that they are Jews and from Israel?

Ben Solomon: Very positive! I am sent Israeli flags with hearts. Many write that the Iranian regime has been selling them Israel as their archenemy and the source of all evil for years, but they are increasingly realizing, also through my song, that these are all lies, that there are many Jews and Israelis who love the Iranian people and support their freedom struggle.

World: In your song you also criticize that when it is "against Israel", there is always loud outrage in Germany, but not now with the protests in Iran. Why is that?

Ben Solomon: Israel is always quickly demonized and many organizations then become vocally outraged. And those same organizations are deafeningly quiet right now. It reveals the double standard and it shows that they basically don't care about human rights, because otherwise they would be working equally for the people of Iran right now. Apparently they only care about their obsession – about bashing Israel.

WORLD: In your song, you also address the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock directly. You would dream of her cutting off a strand of hair. Just like many women around the world are doing in solidarity with the women in Iran. They also demand that the Secretary of State identify the ideology responsible for this repression.

Ben Salomo: Yes, in my opinion it would send a strong signal of support to the people of Iran if the German foreign minister cut off a strand of her hair. It would also send a strong signal to the regime. And it must also be said that Islamism is the origin of this oppression, from which many Muslims worldwide suffer.

WORLD: Has Ms. Baerbock already contacted you?

Ben Solomon: Unfortunately no. But I would definitely be happy about that, because we could reach a lot more people through them.

WORLD: You have already generated a lot of attention. Are you afraid of the Iranian regime?

Ben Salomo: When I was writing the song, I wasn't thinking about it at all, let alone afraid. But with more than a million views, I had to think briefly of the Iran-critical book author Salman Rushdie, who was recently attacked with a knife. But the people of Iran inspire me with their courage. I don't know if I would have acted as bravely as musician Shervin Hajipour. But he inspired me through his song, so I am forever connected to him and the local people and feel a responsibility that can no longer be shirked.

WORLD: Is there a dream you have for the future?

Ben Solomon: As far as I know, Shervin Hajipour is awaiting his sentence. This must not happen, he does not belong in prison and the international community must keep an eye on all these innocent people and help them. My dream would be to one day be on stage with Shervin Hajipour in Tehran and sing a duet of the song "Baraye" with him - with thousands of Iranians singing and dancing and with the flags of our home countries in the background.