The practically weeklong funeral for the late Iranian Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei was meant to showcase the energy and unity of the Islamic Republic after it survived 40 days of relentless bombardment by america and Israel. However the public mourning unintentionally highlighted the deep rifts dividing not solely Iranian society but additionally the regime itself.
Most photos from the funeral painting huge crowds of mourners—grieving ladies in black chadors and males in darkish garments and army fatigues chanting their devotion to the slain ayatollah and their anger towards his killers. Above that sea of black, pink flags might be seen held aloft by the throngs of individuals.
The pink flag in Shiite Islam, usually carrying the inscription “Ya la Tharat al-Hussein,” or “Oh, ye avengers of Hussein,” remembers the killing of Hussein, grandson of the prophet Muhammad, whose Seventh-century martyrdom triggered the unique cut up between Sunnis and Shiites. Carrying the flag at Khamenei’s funeral is an unmistakable name for revenge, a rejection of the place of pragmatists who see the delicate negotiations with the U.S. as Iran’s best choice. The funeral threw the distinction between the 2 positions—confrontation or conciliation—into excessive reduction, giving prime billing to the anti-negotiation stance.
