Iranians’ Angry Reactions to Muharram Ceremonies

Over the past 44 years, the religious and political missionaries of the Islamic Republic have relied on the deep belief of a significant portion of the Iranian people in the Third Shia Imam.

Every year, millions of Iranians observe Ashura on the 10th day in the month of Muḥarram, the first month in the Islamic lunar calendar, as it marks the death of Hossein ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, during the Battle of Karbala in 680. 

Large demonstrations of high-scale mourning are held throughout the country to remember and honor Hossein's sacrifice; preachers deliver sermons, narrating the life of the Third Shia Imam and recounting the history of the battle; poetry is recited to celebrate his virtues and legacy.

The Islamic Republic’s officials have used this fervor to justify the government's policies, label their opponents as enemies of religion and gather more supporters. 

But this year, Iranian social media users have shared messages urging people not to wear black clothes during Muharram. 

The families of those who lost their lives during last year’s anti-government protests – some of whom hold strong religious beliefs – draw comparisons between their loved ones' suffering and the Battle of Karbala. 

Goldasteh Hosseini, the mother of Abulfazl Adinezadeh, one of the victims of the Islamic Republic bloody crackdown on the months-long unrest, expressed her grief on her Instagram account. 

"My son, Abulfazl, my Muharram is the day they took your dear life, my Karbala is your grave,” she lamented.

The mother of Abulfazl Amirataei, another victim, shared a heart-wrenching video of her son's struggle to survive in hospital, expressing her anguish over the "senseless act that claimed" his life.

"Don't lecture me about Muharram; I've experienced my own trials, like the time Abulfazl spent months in the hospital, and I still curse the person responsible for shooting you," she said. 

Many social media users evoke the events surrounding Karbala, drawing parallels between the battle and the violence inflicted to protesters. 

In response to the violent suppression of the protest movement, Iranians have published images depicting the harsh treatment endured by the demonstrators. 

Some of them compare the government’s actions with the historical events of Muharram, highlighting the contradiction between the government's brutality and the mourning of Imam Hossein.

“The government claims to mourn an imam who protested oppressive rulers, yet it suppresses its own people for opposing the regime; this exposes its hypocritical behavior," religious scholar Mohammed Javad Akbarin tells IranWire.

However, Akbarin points out that the posts shared on social media reflect "the diverse sentiments within the society.”

“Some individuals express their frustration and disdain toward the government's hypocritical actions, while others remain supportive, possibly due to personal interests or beliefs."

"These online expressions of grief, anger and resistance are indicative of the sentiments prevailing in the majority of society, as voiced through social networks. It is clear that a significant portion of the population does not align with the government's narrative and its handling of religious and historical events, Akbarin adds. 

Opposition to Mandatory Hijab

A significant segment of society expresses opposition to the official Muharram ceremonies, primarily due to the ongoing crackdown on women flouting mandatory hijab rules. 

This stance has gained considerable traction and has resulted in detentions, imprisonments and forced confessions for those who stand against the compulsory headscarf during Muharram. 

In Karaj, a defiant woman walked past a religious procession without a hijab and told a man who had warned her while recording the scene: "I’m a woman, don't scare me; I will stand by my beliefs."

This woman was reportedly apprehended by security agencies, and the semi-official Fars news agency published her forced confession in which she was portrayed as being against religious norms.

Boys and girls who have shown their opposition to the Islamic Republic and forced hijab during Muharram have ended up in jail.

According to sociologist Mehrdad Darvishpour, these incidents show the secularization of society and the weakening of religious norms in Iran. 

“While the Iranian government remains one of the most fervently religious in the region, secularism of society has reached unprecedented levels, with some individuals even adopting anti-religious stances," he tells IranWire.

Darvishpour notes that last year's protests, particularly the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement triggered by the September death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, "exacerbated the rift between the government and the people." 

"Although street protests may have diminished, disregard for mandatory hijab among women and girls indicates that society remains assertively opposed to the government's religious norms," he says. 

He predicts that this gap will continue to widen, making it increasingly challenging for the government to enforce religious practices on the populace.

Crimes by the Iranian Government

For social media users, gathering examples of the Iranian government's oppression of dissent is not a challenging task. 

One disturbing image shared on social media depicts a protester from Zahedan, Khodanoor Lejaei, with his hands and feet tied to a police station flagpole. A glass of water is placed in front of him, but he can’t reach it.

This cruel treatment was accompanied by the hashtag Final-Muharram.

Another social media user shared the picture of Navid Afkari, a protester who was executed after enduring torture, with a question "Muharram???" 

Afkari’s brothers, his sister and brother-in-law were imprisoned, while his parents endured harassment. 

This showcases the extent of suffering and injustice experienced by the victims of the Islamic Republic and their families. 

In response to the religiosity promoted by the government, these opponents often point out the Islamic Republic’s hypocrisy and sometimes reject the religion altogether. 

This process, according to Akbarin, draws parallels to historical events in the West, where crimes committed by the church led to the Period of Renaissance. 

"Just as the society in the West grappled with the realization that it had to choose between humanity and religious dogma, freedom and religion, and honor and dignity and religion, a similar experience currently unfolds in Iran under the Islamic Republic," he said.