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'It's time to fight back': Who knew Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was a fan of Tupac?

#InsideIran

The former Iranian president causes a stir on Twitter after posting lyrics from the US rapper

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad flashes the sign for victory at the interior ministry's election headquarters in Tehran on 12 April 2017 (AFP)
Ali Habib's picture
Ali Habib
Tuesday 16 October 2018 15:48 UTC
Last update: 
Wednesday 17 October 2018 13:08 UTC
Topics: 
InsideIran
Tags: 
Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Twitter, Donald Trump, Hip-Hop, Tupac Shakur
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared to show a more than passing knowledge of rap music on Monday, quoting the late Tupac Shakur in the latest of a series of surprising tweets from the former Iranian president.

His tweet referred to the US Black Panther Party on the anniversary of the African-American revolutionary organisation's foundation in 1966.

Iran's former president included a famous lyric from Tupac Shakur’s song "Changes".

The song refers to the war on drugs, the struggles of the African-American community in the US, including their treatment at the hands of police and racism.

Social media users took to Twitter to express their surprise at Ahmadinejad's knowledge of hip-hop.

People have reacted to his decision to join Twitter and share his personal opinions on the social media platform, which was banned in Iran under his administration, leading many Iranians to use proxy servers in order to access Twitter.

Since his maiden tweet last year announcing he’d joined Twitter, Ahmadinejad has written a number of tweets critiquing US President Donald Trump as well as blaming "Zionists" for distracting from "real issues" in the United States.

Besides hip hop, he has also weighed in on other social issues that have dominated US media in 2018.

When Trump called former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick “unpatriotic” due to his protests against police brutality, Ahmadinejad decided to join in the discussion and tweeted about the matter.

He made comments during the spat between basketball player LeBron James and Trump after the LA Lakers star called the president a “bum”. Trump responded stating that he preferred Michael Jordan to LeBron. Ahmadinejad tweeted this:

Ahmadinejad’s sporting commentary didn’t end there. He also addressed the French Open’s plans to change its dress code for female tennis players after their disagreement about what Serena Williams decided to wear during the tournament.

Social media users were quick to point out that under his presidency, Iranian women were arrested if they appeared in public with their heads uncovered.

The headscarf is still compulsory for women in public in Iran, and dozens of women have been arrested after removing their hijabs in public in a wave of protests. 

Despite his busy schedule, Ahmadinejad continues to make time for hard-hitting commentary on social media.

Read more: 

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