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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Robert Tait and Deepa Parent

Music and dancing signify defiance at celebratory funerals of Iran’s protesters

A crowd of people walking through the streets of Tehran.
Iranians at an anti-government protest in Tehran on 8 January. Photograph: AP

Iranians killed in recent protests that rocked the country have been laid to rest in boisterous funerals featuring loud pop music and dancing, apparently intended to convey defiance to the ruling Islamic regime.

Instead of holding sombre traditional mourning ceremonies presided over by a Shia cleric, bereaved relatives are turning the burials into exultant celebrations of the lives of their loved ones in what analysts say is an intentional snub to the culture of piety demanded by Iran’s theocracy.

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