Protests Are Continuing In Iran
There has been a decrease in the number of people involved in the latest protests, but the protesters may be shifting tactics, and some will certainly be mourning those who have died.
The BBC continues its coverage which has the government of Iran declaring that the UK is the “Greater Satan”. The BBC Persian service is finding ways around the official blocking of information.
The CBC discussed the case of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman in the bloody video that stunned people, with Amir Hassanpour, an associate professor with the University of Toronto who teaches about the modern Middle East.
He makes a telling point:
Her fiancé, Caspian Makan, told BBC the family had planned to hold a memorial service at a mosque, as is customary, but authorities forbade the public service for fear it would further fan the flames of discontent.
“This Islamic government, why if it’s so Islamic does it prevent an Islamic tradition, a very important tradition?” said Hassanpour.
This is the main issue that caused many of the Grand Ayatollahs in Qom to oppose the current form of the Iranian government. The tradition has always been, believe it or not, separation of “church and state” in Iran. Denying a memorial service in a mosque is “not Islamic”. In this case, the government has chosen politics over religion.
