"Ya Hossein! Mir-Hossein!"
The traditional chants of Ashura commemorate the death and martydom of Imam Hossien, grandson of the Prophet and one of Shi'a's founders. This year, the added "Mir" is a reference to Mir Hossein Mousavi and the reform Movement's present struggle for justice in Iran.
From AP Getty Images
Preliminary reports claim four have been killed in Tehran, and that a nephew of Mir Hossien Mousavi is among the dead. There are also some spotty reports out there that protests are also occurring in Isfahan and Shiraz. The links in the article I found that mentioned protests outside of Tehran did not work, however. Most articles describing protests outside of Tehran were posted two and three days ago.
There are a number of images to be found from Tehran however. The two here are encouraging as they show older more traditional-looking women among them. The younger Green Movement type of women tend to wear color in their chadors, whereas the older more traditional/religious women tend to wear all black and take care to completely cover their hair. One of their more derogatory names is "black crows."
The second picture has Imam Hossein in the background--the subject of the Ashura observances and patron of the struggle against injustice to Shi'as. If the Reform Movement expands to include many more of the devoutly religious, all of those involved will be safer, and their movement more powerful. Moreover, the death of Montazeri, and the possibility that other prominent Reform clerics might become more vocal could also expand the influence of the Reform Movement. If Grand Ayatollah Saanei and Ayatollah Taheri are joined by a more vocal group, a critical mass could be reached.
In addition to protests, the other body to watch for is the Assembly of Experts. This group selects the Supreme Leader, (or in Farsi, "Rabhar" which is really just "Leader") and constitutionally they have the power to insert themselves into the political process. Last March, the Ahmadinejad/Khamenei coalition tried to get their man, hard-line Ayatollah Yazdi aka "The Crocodile" elected head of the Assembly of Experts. They lost by a wide margin, and Ayatollah Rafsanjani (former President, and the man who lost to Ahmadinejad in the 2005 runoff election) maintained leadership of that body. He won the vote by a two-to-one margin over Yazdi. Rafsanjani, although a very political man, leans toward the Reformers. If the Reform Movement gains more converts in the Assembly of Experts, there remains a chance for a much less violent resolution of the conflict. What that resolution would be is hard to predict, but it would be an entirely Iranian solution. An Iranian solution with as little outside influence as possible has the best chance of being a long-term viable solution.
You can see translation of the Reform Website Rah-e-Sabz Here:Green Way