Iran Snapshot: When Protester Mina Met Basij Mohammad (Hafezi/Hosseinian)

Iranian Protesters Raise Flowers, 30 July 2009Parisa Hafezi and Zahra Hosseinian report for Reuters:

Mina and Mohammad stood on opposite sides of the political barricades when protests against Iran's rulers erupted into mass street violence; she, a student demanding democratic reform, he a member of the hard-line Basij militia that helped crush the greatest challenge ever to the Islamic Republic.

Now the two, both 27, are brought together for the first time in a small sitting room in central Tehran. Two years have passed. Iran faces painful trade sanctions over its nuclear program, prices soar, the opposition is silenced and parliamentary polls loom for Mina as an empty promise of democracy.

They greet each other warily, these representatives of two estranged sides of Iran, the victor, perhaps, and the vanquished. Both smile courteously, refusing offers of tea to ease the awkwardness.

Mina, an English tutor with a sociology degree, recalls the days in 2009 when thousands rallied to accuse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of falsifying votes to secure re-election. Mohammad, a university graduate, newly married, invites her to talk first.

"I wish it hadn't happened," she says, leaning back on a black sofa, wearing high heels, a black manteau and tightly fastened black headscarf. "I suffered depression for months and had nightmares."

Mohammad looks down at the marble-tiled floor, perhaps uneasy, perhaps simply following the Islamic custom not to look an unknown woman in the eyes.

"Violence breeds violence and hostility," Mina continues. "I'm so disappointed at the establishment for using violence against its own people."

Mohammad, sporting a thin beard, his hair cut short, agrees the vote and protests divided the nation, but sees the opposition as the guilty party, an instigator.

"Immediately before and after that election, families fell apart and the first question many...asked each other before getting to know each other was which candidate that person was supporting."

"Many of my friends who were fans of (opposition candidate Mir Hossein) Mousavi ended their friendship with me, as I was an Ahmadinejad backer. We used to go to the mosques together and I didn't object when they wanted to listen to Western music when we were sitting in a room together but they ended their friendship with me because we had different political ideas."

....

Mina grows visibly agitated at Mohammad's reference to one crucial day in the protests [20 June 2009] when a young woman, Neda Agha Soltan, was shot dead. Film of her final moments spread across the world through the Internet.

Mohammad cites an incident when pro-reformers interrupted mourning ceremonies of a Shi'ite festival, Ashura [27 December 2009].

"Iran is a traditional society and what happened on the day of Ashura was unacceptable to many."

He seeks to assure Mina he sees no solution to Iran's problems in force.

"Many reformists had a wrong impression of Basij forces and conservatives. They all believed we were extremists but our slogan before the 2009 vote was 'Our regards to Mousavi, our vote for Ahmadi'."

Mina, who will not vote on Friday [in Parliamentary elections], smiles courteously.

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