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Pop idol's funeral draws biggest crowds in Iran since 2009 unrest

The funeral of Iranian pop idol Morteza Pashaie on Sunday drew the biggest crowds seen in Iran since mass protests in 2009 rocked the Islamic Republic. Pashaie, who died on Friday of pancreatic cancer at the age of 30, was a singer-composer who won a big following that crossed Iran's political and social divides. His music appealed both to Westernised urbanites and the traditionally devout.

 

His funeral in Tehran on Sunday brought out thousands of Iranians, both supporters of the Islamic government and secular-minded critics, in a rare moment of solidarity in a polarised country. State television showed Pashaie's coffin, bedecked in flowers and the Iranian flag, moving toward Behesht-e Zahra cemetery in south Tehran. Mourners in black sobbed, sang and waved his picture on his latest album cover.

 


פרסום ראשון: 11.16.14, 17:51