Iran: March 21, 2004

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Iranian population and Iran's major trading partners do not. 

Islamic clerics and religious police failed to halt widespread celebration of Nowroz, the ancient celebration of Spring and the new year. Islamic conservatives consider Nowroz a pagan ritual (which is true) and a protest against clerical rule in Iran (also true.) But so many Iranians openly celebrated it that the Islamic conservatives backed off. In past years, the religious police was successful, in many part of the country, in putting down Nowroz