When God Sleeps
Till Schauder
Radical clergymen pronounce a death fatwa against Najafi
At some point, his convictions could cost him his life. In 2012, Iranian singer Shahin Najafi released the satirical rap song “Naghi”. The track is about political repression, economic sanctions, and social powerlessness. The cover shows the dome of a mosque in the shape of a woman’s breast with a rainbow flag planted on the nipple. Too much.
Radical clerics issued a fatwa against Najafi. It was said his song denigrated Ali al-Naghi, one of the twelve Imams revered by Shia Muslims. A $100,000 bounty was put on his head, and thousands demanded his execution. Najafi fled to Germany.
The documentary “Wenn Gott schläft” (When God Sleeps) tells of Najafi’s life under fatwa. A life of uncertainty and omnipresent threat: “This fear is a part of me.”
Director: Till Schauder
Country: GER
Year: 2017
Duration: 87 minutes