Iranian Festival Interrupted

Charshanbeh Suri or Red Wednesday, a festival that is a precursor to the Persian New Year, and a festival that millions of Iranians celebrate, was interrupted this year, by government officials. The Supreme Leader wanted to ban the bonfire night because he did not want it to turn into a protest. The way FOX News reported the story was short and to the point. Basically just told the facts, and didn't have that many quotes from different people, just one from The Supreme leader, stating, "Charshanbeh Suri [Red Wednesday] has no Sharia basis and causes much harm and corruption and should be avoided altogether” (Supreme).

The BBC article talked more about the people who got arrested at the festival. Apparently 50 people were detained, and now won't be able to participate in the New Years activities. The reason for the arrests were because the younger people at the festival "clashed" with police officers. The 50 people who were arrested were causing"an unacceptable level of nuisance to the public" (Iranian). "Young Iranians went out into the street to leap though bonfires and set off firecrackers, traditional on Chaharshanbeh-Suri - or Red Wednesday - held a few days before Norouz, the Persian new year" (Iranian). The Supreme Leader doesn't like the festival because he says it is just a bunch of fire worship.

Al Arabiya used their big describing words to talk about how the Supreme Leader, ("Khamenei, Iran's all-powerful cleric") in Iran didn't want the festivals to go on. The article went on to describe the festivals and what they entailed. They go on to talk about how several casualties happen at the festival every year. The site just hams up the article, making people seem to be a lot more colorful, with their ample use of adjectives.

"Iranian police arrest 50 people at traditional festival." BBC News. BBC, 17
Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. 8571001.stm>.

"Shun Persian fire festival: Ayatollah Khamenei." Al Arabiya. AlArabiya, 14 Mar.
2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. 102992.html>.

"Supreme Leader Tries to Ban Iranian Bonfire Night to Quell Protests." Fox News.
FOX News Network, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 Mar. 2010.
.