It’s a great honour to finally set foot on this blessed land,” Sami Yusuf was quoted as saying on his official website. “Nazarenes … a part of me and an extension of my own soul. Huge crowds attended Yusuf’s gig there earlier this month. Nazareth (or an-Nasira as Arabs call it) is a special place for many Christians, as the place where Jesus is believed to have been brought up. The film, Iran’s most expensive and lavish production to date, was made by Majid Majidi, a leading pro-establishment Iranian director. He recently contributed to the score of a multimillion-dollar Iranian biopic about the youth of the prophet Muhammad, called Muhammad, Messenger of God. Yusuf is adored in Iran, as in many parts of the Middle East.
He went on to say: “Music is permeable and was never meant to be confined to borders nor used for political ends, rather, it was meant to echo freely throughout space and time. I am sorry that my precious listeners in Iran will be denied my music for sometime, but I will not apologise for performing in Palestine.” “I was not aware that bringing smiles to the faces of my beloved Palestinian brothers and sisters could cause such offence to the government of Iran.
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“I was very surprised to hear that the official state TV and radio for the Islamic Republic of Iran has banned my music and likeness due to my recent performance in Nazareth,” he wrote. He reacted to the controversy on Monday by issuing a statement on his official website with the headline: “Banned by my very own.” Yusuf, 35, who Time magazine has called Islam’s biggest rock star, is one of Britain’s most famous Muslims worldwide. Those defying the ban risk being sentenced to five years in jail. Iranians are banned from travelling to Israel and the Iranian passport is not valid for travel there.
Foreigners who travel to both Iran and Israel usually use two separate passports or ask Israeli border guards not to stamp their travel document. Iran does not recognise Israel and world artists who perform there become persona non grata in the Islamic Republic. “Sami Yusuf’s recent trip to the occupied territories (Christian and Jewish holy sites including the site of the baptism of Jesus Christ) is the reason why his works are banned from the state television,” reported Entekhab, an Iranian news website.
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