Mohammad Reza Shajarian is Iran’s most famous classical singer. His performances have been internationally acclaimed. Every year, Shajarian’s prayer, the rabanaa, was aired on state television during Ramadan, signaling to Iranian viewers that it was time to break their daily fast. But when Shajarian fell out with the authorities by supporting the Green Movement protests in 2009, his star within the Islamic Republic establishment fell.

Domestically, Shajarian remained relatively quiet — until May 5. During an international conference in Iran in honor of Iranian poet Hafez, Shajarian was asked to speak. He started by saying he did not know he was going to be brought up to the stage, or he would have prepared a statement. He recited a couple of his favorite verses from Hafez and said, “When I sing, I cannot sing without poetry. It’s like a car without gasoline.” He added, “When the richness of Hafez’s poetry is there, it leads me to singing.” He referred to Hafez as a “coach, a teacher, a father.”

“I will not say too much," he said somewhat dramatically. "I have to speak with you in another tongue. For years, I have sang what I could sing, and after this, whatever I sing, it will be saying too much, singing too much and embarrassing myself, because it’s been some years that I have not had permission to sing for my own people in my own country.”

The short speech was shared online by many who support either Shajarian as a singer or his political position during the contested 2009 elections, the aftermath of which led to mass protests and arrests. The video clip was uploaded to Shajarian’s Facebook fan page and shared nearly 5,000 times.