Heavy security measures at the occasion of 'un-Islamic' Persian event

SMCCDI:

Apr 2, 2006, 00:11

Thousands of Para-military and security agents have been deployed in the Iranian Capital in order to crackdown on the 'expressive' celebrators of the 'un-Islamic' Persian Sizdeh-Bedar event.

The annual event which takes place, today, marks the end of the Iranian New Year's ceremonies having started on March 20th. Pre-dating from before the Islamic invasion of Iran, 14 centuries ago, it's a traditional occasion for Iranians to renew with nature, by organizing outdoor gatherings, and to celebrate. But the event has always been considered, by the dogmatic clerics, as a pagan tradition and considered as a threat to their Islamic ideology.

Iranians are increasingly sizing the occasion for showing their rejection of the regime, and opposition groups use the crowd presence, in parks, in order to distribute anti-regime tracts or to mobilize the celebrators. Many Iranian women use the occasion in order to break the Islamic taboos by chanting, dancing or even taking off their mandatory veil.

Tehran's streets and avenues have been forbidden to motocycles and thousands of security agents have been instructed to beat or arrest anyone involved in anti-regime activities or having 'un-Islamic behavior'.

In most cities, located especially in northern and western Iran, the same repressive measures have been adopted.