The arrest of Mourning Mothers: the downfall of cultural and religious values?

January 2010-Soudabeh Javadi

Political analysts can point out different situations in the history of each country which caused a distance between the people and the government. Many sociologists believe that the mistrust of people toward their government is the result of social crises and the weakening of values.

Critics of the Islamic Republic believe that the arrest of the mourning Iranian mothers whose children were killed during the post-election protests marked the downfall of cultural and religious values in Iran.

In many cases, when the mothers found out about the death of their children, they referred to different authorities, holding pictures of their sons or daughters, but they were left uninformed. Even after the bodies of their loved ones were returned to them, security forces forbid them to hold any memorial services. Memorial services held on the third, seventh, and fortieth day of passing helps families deal with the loss of their loved ones and helps alleviate a possible emotional crisis.

Psychologist Amir Payam says that, in general, dealing with the death of a family member is followed by an extreme emotional crisis. In the first few days, those left behind show behaviours known as mourning. This phase starts with depression, sadness, then denial. After, the truth sets in and the mourner can feel angry or even guilty.

Amir Payam believes that mourning reduces the pain of losing a loved one and helps the person to accept the truth of death. He says that the memorial ceremony held three days after a death is a tradition in Iranian culture. It is approximately 72 hours that a mourner is under great stress and emotional pressure. Mourners need close friends and family members to help them get through the pain. The memorial ceremonies held on the seventh and fortieth days after death have historical and cultural roots in Iran. They help the mourners accept the facts and return to normal life.

The grieving mothers who lost their children in recent events were deprived of their right to mourn over their loss and as a result were not able to decrease their pain. Why is the gathering of these mothers considered a political act, and why is their need to release the pain overlooked?

Hossein Shariatmadari, analyst of Iranian politics and religious matters, answers these questions:

In the current totalitarian government, any kind of sympathy between people is considered political, especially when it is combined with the demand for justice and human rights. It is obvious that when the grieving mothers gather and mourn together they are making a social request: finding those responsible for the death of their children and bringing them to justice. In Iran, such actions are considered political from the viewpoints of authorities, because they have created a totalitarian atmosphere where every action is considered political. Agents of the government, including Mahmood Ahmadinejad, always emphasize the importance of a respectful view toward women and mothers, a value derived from Islamic education. In Islam, it is very important to respect women. In this culture, Yazid is considered a bitter and cruel man, but even he did not prevent Zeinab from mourning over her loss, and he let the prisoners of Karbala weep and protest at his own feast.

Iranian authorities say that the mourning ceremonies were forbidden in orderto prevent any unexpected incidents.

As Hadi Ghaemi, the spokesman of the International Human Rights Campaign in Iran stated, it is ethically shameful that the mourning mothers have been arrested, while the murderers of their children are under unlimited immunity.