Singer of the Song 'Ziyarat' Achieves His 'Forty-Five-Year Wish': Meeting with Ebrahim Raisi

Iranian media has released a video of the 'heartfelt' meeting between Abbas Ghaderi, a singer of the 'street and market' style, and Ebrahim Raisi during a ceremony titled 'Meeting of the President with Cultural and Artistic Figures,' where Abbas Ghaderi told Raisi: 'I have wished for this moment for forty-five years.' This meeting has received widespread attention among social media users. According to photos published by domestic media, Ali Nasirian, Daryush Arjomand, and several other 'artists' including Ahmad Najafi, Mehran Rajabi, Abolfazl Pourarab, Golriz, Mohsen Afshani, Mehdi Fakhimzadeh, and Kamand Amirsoleimani were also present at the event. In this meeting, Ebrahim Raisi claimed that his 'people's government' has tried to provide all opportunities and capacities for the 'growth and elevation of culture and art' to the activists in this field, stating: 'This year, cinema has experienced its most prosperous and audience-rich year in history, and significant cultural and artistic events and festivals have been held in the fields of theater, visual arts, music, and poetry with remarkable reception.' These statements come at a time when several critics and art experts have emphasized that due to government policies, there is a reverse trend in the quality of works produced in Iran. Such meetings have always provoked reactions and faced criticism from social media users and artists who refuse to participate in such events. In the past, similar meetings have also drawn severe public criticism. For example, Alireza Eftekhari, in a controversial act in 2009, met with then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and embraced him. This incident led to widespread negative reactions among the people and the Iranian music community. Many viewed Eftekhari's act as a form of support for Ahmadinejad and his policies, especially during widespread protests over the presidential election results that year. The backlash was so severe that he stated in an interview that after this incident, he faced insults and boycotts from the public, to the extent that shops refused to sell him goods and his children were bullied at school. Eftekhari repeatedly tried to defend his actions, claiming he did not intend to support Ahmadinejad but merely wanted to ask for his help for traditional Iranian music. However, these explanations failed to convince public opinion, and his popularity significantly declined. Daryush Arjomand, who was present at the meeting with Ebrahim Raisi, has repeatedly supported the Islamic Republic of Iran and its policies. In an interview, he stated, 'I love the Islamic Republic' and 'I will defend this regime for the rest of my life.' His statements faced criticism from many people who believe the Islamic Republic is responsible for human rights violations and the oppression of the Iranian people. Arjomand has attacked protesters against the Islamic Republic on several occasions, referring to them as 'rioters' and 'traitors' in a speech, which sparked outrage among many people. It is noteworthy that in the meeting on Saturday, almost none of the artists supporting the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement were present.