Street rallies in Iran raising questions for religious rulers

TEHRAN, Iran -- In a new movie, young Iranian lovers are harassed by morality police for being alone together in a car. The outraged young man finally attacks the officer -- often to the cheers of the audience.

"You don't understand us," the actor cries. "We are the new generation."

And it's not just happening in the safety of dark cinemas.

In a series of remarkable outbursts on the streets -- following soccer matches by Iran's national team -- crowds have defied authorities, flouted Islamic rules and introduced some serious political questions. Chief among them: Can the ruling theocrats cope with the aspirations of the vast pool of Iranian youth born after the 1979 Islamic Revolution?

"It's a spontaneous social-political movement. We will see where it leads," said activist Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, who was released from prison this week after serving more than six months for his role in the student-led protests of 1999.

The street rallies are an extension of an overall evolution: Iranians testing the boundaries of expression -- from films to newspapers to clothing and music.

"We just want to have some fun," said 19-year-old Farzin, who would only give his first name. "We don't need more politics."

Stirrings of a storm

But others see a more focused message. To them, the soccer match passions may be the stirrings of an anti-government storm -- an assessment borne out by chants directly taunting the security forces and their volunteer civilian enforcers, the basiji.

"Tanks, guns and the basiji are no longer effective," they shouted.

The surge to the streets began last month as Iran played in World Cup qualifying matches. Each game brought out bigger crowds, jamming streets in Tehran and other cities with drivers blaring car horns and waving flags. Some women defiantly shook off their head scarves and danced on car hoods to Western and Persian music.

The Iranian soccer team's next test is Nov. 10 when it opens a two-game playoff in Ireland. The winner goes to the World Cup finals.

President Mohammad Khatami knows the immense clout of the young population in Iran, where nearly half the 65 million people is under 20 years old. Young voters widely back his reformist outlook and contributed to his re-election in June.

But conservatives have initially opted for a tough line.

Their first target has been satellite dishes, which were formally banned in 1995 but are still widely used. More than 1,000 dishes have been confiscated in the past week.

The crackdown is an apparent attempt to limit access to U.S.-based satellite broadcasts by stations run by Iranian dissidents.