Word: mourning
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...Monday, the Shi'ite Muslim day of mourning known as Ashura, the parades were much more hostile, with thousands chanting "Death to the Shah!" By tradition, the faithful demonstrate their sorrow over the slaying of Husain, the grandson of Muhammad, in the 7th century A.D. by flagellating themselves with chains. But this year the Ashura ceremonies were in reality political parades led by turbaned mullahs. When asked what had happened to the ancient observance that had dominated the day of mourning for more than 1,300 years, one young marcher in Tehran replied: "We have more important things...
...demonstration came near the climax of the holy month of Muharram, on which Iran's devout Shi'ite Muslims traditionally take to the streets in a frenzy of self-flagellation to mourn the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husain, who was martyred in the 7th century. This year the critical days, Sunday and Monday, had a special meaning: they were to be the occasion for mass protests against the Shah. From his headquarters outside Paris, Khomeini called again for a general strike and the Shah's downfall. "Paralyze the regime," he urged the faithful. "Flee your barracks...
...Shah from his throne. The next crucial test will come during the Islamic month of Muharram. The Shi'ite observance of this month culminates on Dec. 11, with the commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Husain, grandson of Muhammad. It is a time when all Shi'ites mourn for their dead, and emotions often reach a feverish pitch...
...fully achieve. He has given up on personal hygiene, lusts after his older sister and spends most of his time alone in his room. Without any redeeming charm, he is nonetheless capable of evoking sympathy. Jack never deludes himself about the mess he has become; watching his sisters mourn, he notes: "I wished I could abandon myself like them, but I felt watched. I wanted to go and look at myself in the mirror." Long solitary walks take him to the remains of prefabricated houses that had been knocked down for the forgotten highway. Standing in one, he sees...
Next day thousands of students who had gathered at the university to mourn the dead surged through its gates into downtown Tehran. They burned buildings, sacked hotels, trashed cinemas, bars, liquor stores and airline offices, which have come to be reviled by both leftists and religious rightists as detested symbols of Western economic domination. This time the troops did nothing. The Shah decided it was time to act. He asked for the resignation of Premier Jaafar Sharif-Emami and his ten-week-old government. On Sunday evening, the Shah named General Gholam Reza Azhari, 61, a career officer...