Shadows of 1979

It is the type of turnout the Green Movement hopes for,the sort of response the Iranian theocracy wants to stifle. Reformist websites sounded the call to take to the streets; the government responded with a reminder that protests or gatherings of a political nature were barred. But even in an increasingly stifling Iran where speech is clamped down on,opposition leaders arrested and foreign media barred a festival offers a rare opportunity for people to congregate. Thus protests on the day of Ashura,the 10th day of the month of Muharram,were expected.

Ashura was a perfect excuse to take to the streets. That the reform movement would use the emotional narrative of Imam Husseins martyrdom was expected. It is believed by Shias that Hussein was brutally robbed of his throne and position as leader by Caliph Yazid in the battle of Karbala. And in an Iran divided over an election and its brutal aftermath,the chant This is a month of blood Yazid will be defeated! took on a new,political meaning. Couple this with the seven-day death anniversary of opposition cleric Ayatollah Montazeri who is now pitted as a martyr too and crowds were bound to gather.

Defeated reformist Mehdi Karroubi questioned,What has happened to this religious system that it orders the killing of innocent people during the holy day of Ashura? No longer targeted solely at Ahmedinejad,protest openly criticises Ayatollah Khameini too. A key development from June: recent protests are not limited to middle-class Tehran,and have spread to Qom,Shiraz and other less developed cities. As events unfold in Tehran one is reminded of the days when the Shah fought for survival from an increasingly disgruntled public though there are important differences. The lack of a unified vision,for example,means that the change this movement seeks is still some distance away.