Pilgrimages made by loved ones of those who died in combat are also supported and organised by the regime, which sees in them the opportunity to spread its doctrineIn Iran, every spring, thousands of families travel to the battle sites of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88). Many of those who make these pilgrimages - called Rahian-e Noor in Persian (the passenger of light) - lost loved ones in the war, which caused more than half a million deaths on the Iranian side.But they are also supported and organised by the regime, which sees the opportunity to disseminate its doctrine.Thousands of pilgrims travel to the Shalamcheh war memorial in Iran, a few hundred metres from the Iraqi borderComing here gives me a feeling similar to coming out of a period of depressionPilgrims take a quick boat tour on the Arvand Kenar memorial at the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab River, which separates Iran from IraqCruise passengers walk over American and Israeli flags painted on the deck of their cruise boatChildren arrive by bus at the memorial site. They are wearing T-shirts bearing the portraits of Ayatollah Khamenei and martyrsWomen remove their shoes at the entrance to the memorial. For them, this land is sacredOn the Talaieh memorial, a man from the Basij militia, an Iranian volunteer force, takes shelter from the sun under a giant reproduction of a military helmetA couple rests in the shade of a ruin The man who supervises the young Basij volunteer force, with his arm raised, is called JaberIf Iran is attacked, it will not only be defended by the military but also by all of us in the Basij volunteer forceA woman holds her baby, wearing a banner indicating the expectation of the one who must return, a Shia reference to the missing 12th Imam, who must return to earth for the last judgment. Right, at the entrance of the memorial, stalls mix war memories, religious articles and military toysOne of the many propaganda posters, this one warns Iranians against the `soft war´ of the country´s e ...
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