Word: recentered
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Life in the capital of Iran seems eerily normal on the eve of what will likely be one of the larger demonstrations in recent weeks. Indeed, many fear it may be the bloodiest of all. But as the city waits, punk skateboarders show off their moves to the thump-thump of French electro at Enqelab Sports Complex. Groups of women in chadors amble by the fragrant booths of spice dealers at the city's famed Grand Bazaar. Young couples lounge in a coffee shop at Haft e-Tir, the epicenter of a quashed protest just last week...
...Mohsen Rezai, died in detention from injuries sustained during a July 9 protest - has sharply divided the population here between the dwindling numbers who defiantly still head to the streets and the vast majority who watch from the sidelines. Among the demonstrators, by now whittled to mostly students or recent graduates and those living on modest incomes, there are frequent mentions of democracy, human rights, the release of political prisoners, even the overthrow of the entire regime. But taken as a whole, it is hard to tell what their objectives are, particularly since the opposition transcends thwarted presidential contender...
Among a dozen likely protesters interviewed in Tehran, most of whom were recent university students, the picture that emerged was one of intense dissatisfaction with the theocratic regime, a system forcing its strict religious codes on a progressively more secular youth population. But many of them do not desire regime change or welcome the violence that would surround such a revolution. Many recall that their parents suffered through such chaos in the run-up to the 1979 Islamic revolution (coincidentally fueled by gatherings commemorating the 40-day anniversaries of those killed in street clashes). Nor do today's young protesters...
...response, young Iranians have been leaving the country by the jetload. "I love this country," says a recent university student who is moving to the U.S. this fall for graduate studies. "But there is no future here for me," he says, explaining that he is on a government blacklist for desirable jobs because of his involvement in protests throughout the past decade. Yet at the same time, Ahmadinejad's caustic criticism of the West has made the task of securing visas next to impossible. Many of those interviewed said they hoped for better ties to the rest of world...
...complex, where a Karroubi adviser said the opposition planned to hold a candlelight vigil. There the protesters confronted hundreds of Revolutionary Guards, who had sealed off the north side of the complex. Meanwhile, the capital's Haqqani expressway was jammed with cars - a strategy used by the protesters in recent weeks to stop the motorcycle Basij gangs. Many vehicles were honking their horns, their passengers waving the peace sign out the window...