Conservative Fireworks Sellers!

Conservative Fireworks Sellers! - 2004-03-15 By: Arash Irani After the repeated victories of conservatives in city council elections and the seventh parliamentary elections, some analysts of Iranian affairs hinted at the possibility of this not-so-reputable group becoming more moderate. Perhaps no one expected such a change in stance to occur so soon. You might be wondering where the evidence of this is? If you recall, since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, the celebration of deeply rooted Iranian festivals and customs, as they did not closely align with Islamic and religious holidays, has been considered inappropriate and undesirable. For example, in addition to the implicit opposition of this regime to holding ceremonies like Nowruz in the early days of the revolution, the suppression of the Chaharshanbe Suri ceremony and the eradication of its organizers over the past 25 years has been seen as one of its duties. However, it is interesting that the same value-driven and conservative forces that were not willing to compromise even a little with these ancient ceremonies until last year, and even hesitated to use their name, referring to it as 'the last Wednesday of the year', have now decided to sell various types of fireworks as their main focus this year! With the green light from conservatives, on the 21st of Esfand this year, the CEO of the Fire Department announced: 'Cultural and social departments in 21 municipal regions have planned parks for the spring welcoming project, which means people can purchase fireworks in designated markets and hold their ceremonies on the last Wednesday of the year.' Now imagine if last year, before the conservatives were confident in seizing power, a reformist had uttered such phrases; what uproar and outcry would have engulfed all of Iran? According to political experts, granting social freedoms while simultaneously creating political blockages is the main strategy that conservatives will employ to manage Iran in the coming years. It is quite possible that tomorrow this same group will also allow satellite television and ease current restrictions on hijab! According to one of these experts: 'The recent struggles and conflicts between conservatives and reformists over preserving Islamic values and symbols seem to be a dispute over Molla Nasreddin's quilt.'