Immigration to Germany Before he immigrated to Germany, Najafi was the head of an underground music band in
Iran. Still, he was banned for his offenses towards the Islamic faith in Iran by the
Islamic republic government after his second music show. Tapesh 2012 were welcomed by Persian broadcasters and the international media by political and social songs and poems of Najafi. An article published in No. 19194 of the conservative newspaper
Kayhan on 29 September 2008 criticized Tapesh 2012's activities.
Kayhan published the article titled
Establishing democracy with drum & circle. A part of it goes as follows:
Release of first studio album On 1 May 2008, Najafi released his first studio album,
Ma mard nistim (We Are Not Men), with the partnership and composition of the Tapesh 2012 music band. This album was his official and professional beginning in
Persian hip hop music. The album attracted the audience and listener more than before it was released in
Persian hip hop style.
Separation from Tapesh 2012 Najafi ended cooperation with Tapesh 2012 at the beginning of 2009. Various reasons have been proposed related to his separation from this group. The main reason is releasing the "Around us" single song on
Voice of America TV without permission. The supervisor of Tapesh 2012 later apologized to Najafi and stated: the song had been inadvertently released in
Voice of America TV. Najafi accepted the apology.
Reaction to the 2009 Iranian presidential election After the
Iranian election protests, Najafi released a single named
Neda in July 2009 dedicated to
Neda Agha-Soltan, an activist killed during the protests. He released his second studio album titled
Tavahhom (Illusion) on 19 September 2009 by the German-Iranian publishing house "Pamas-Verlag". In this album, several songs are about the intense protests against the
Islamic republic government and the political oppression after the presidential election. It can be cited as "Vaghti khoda have (When God is asleep)" through these songs. The song's lyrics protest the
2009 Iran poll protests trial, militia violence, the use of torture on prisoners, and the
Supreme Leader of Islamic republic regime.
Formation of Antikarisma He formed a new rock band
Antikarisma band in January 2010. The new band, Antikarisma, consists of Najafi, Babak Khazaei, Armin Mostaed, and Pejman Afshari, who live in Germany.
Fatwas and death threats Following the release of the song "Ay Naghi!" ("Hey, Naghi!"),
Grand Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpaygani, a then 93-year-old
Shi’ite cleric based in
Qom, issued a
fatwa death sentence against Najafi for
apostasy.
Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, a "source of emulation" for many
Shia Muslims, also issued a
fatwa declaring Najafi guilty of
apostasy. As of 15 May 2012, more than 800 people in Islamic republic regime had joined a Facebook campaign calling for Najafi to be executed, saying they were ready to assassinate him if necessary. An Islamic republic regime web site, Shia-Online.ir, offered a US$100,000 bounty to anyone who killed Najafi. "Those who love Imam Hadi can practice killing Shahin Najafi by playing this flash game," said Honar Nab Eslam, who developed the game. On 25 May 2012, Shiite cleric
Ahmad Alamolhoda demanded a plan to execute Najafi. In June 2012, forty authors of the Rah-e Nikan religious publishing house promised to give royalties from their books to whoever killed Najafi. The song has drawn sharp anger from protesters who believe it is offensive towards
Imam Naghi, the 10th Imam in Shi’ite Islam. In an interview, Najafi stated that he was inspired by "
The Campaign to Remind Shiites about Imam Naghi" to compose the song. The campaign is a Facebook page that pokes fun at Islamic, and specifically Shi'ite,
hadiths, with members creating fake, funny hadiths and stories centered around a fictional character named Naghi, who is based on Imam Naghi.
2012 US tour Najafi started a United States tour in 2012, starting with a talk on 30 September and later a concert on 16 November at
University of California, Berkeley, events sponsored by the Iranian Student Alliance in the United States of America. He continued the tour in
UC San Diego on 18 November. ==Political and social activities==