Word: basij
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...shot her? A soldier? A member of the notorious Basij, the volunteer militia that supports President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Were they aiming at her? Could this have been an accident or a random act of violence...
...followers to stay away, although the authenticity of those claims could not be verified. Indeed, the latest reports confirm that Mousavi and Karroubi were themselves conspicuous by their absence from Friday's prayers. Ahmadinejad, however, was in attendance as was fellow politician Mohsen Rezaie. It's thought that the basij militia loyal to Ahmadinejad - who have been at the forefront of brutal attacks on opposition supporters - were there in force. While this created a potentially volatile security situation - just a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people, divided by political faction and stoked by a week of fervor - it also...
...Whether or not they attended the prayer service, Mousavi's supporters were planning to hold their own rally in Tehran on Saturday. The Supreme Leader's sermon may now contain important clues as to how the basij and other security forces will respond. The opposition candidate's supporters inside the regime are also working hard to reinforce his case for reversing last Friday's announcement. The combination of pressure on the streets and in the corridors of power has already compelled Khamenei to reverse his initial proclamations and order a recount of the vote. (Read "The Man Who Could Beat...
...Friday Prayers and let them know that we respect and accept our Rahbar, our Supreme Leader, this nezam ("system") and Revolution? Or do we stay away? Is it better to not antagonize a crowd that will no doubt be hot. There are reports and rumors that the basij will be out in full force, that the Supreme Leader will speak and no doubt cast his final verdict on the elections. It is ultimately decided to not go, a decision that seems to flow through the crowd, as if made organically, collectively, unlike the top-down driven gatherings...
...silent protest in Beijing in 2005 has nothing on us. Today's theme, captured in hundreds of handmade signs, is sookoot e sabz, or "green silence." We are here to mourn the fallen, those several who have died in the past few days at the hands of the reprehensible basij, the volunteer paramilitary gangs who back Ahmadinejad. The chants that played such a prominent role prior to the elections and which peep out here and there are contained by the "shuushes!" and "quiets!" of the crowd...