Forty Days Later

Tomorrow will be forty days since Grand Ayatollah Montazeri passed away. In Shiia Islam, the fortieth day after one's death is a significant day of mourning, and it appears that the holy city of Qom -- the Islamic Republic's "citadel," as some have called it -- and Najafabad (Montazeri's hometown) are preparing memorials marking the late dissident cleric's death.

The governor of Qom has already halted preparations for one memorial, citing "fire hazards." (Hundreds of thousands of mourners filled Qom's streets last month to pay their respects before Montazeri was laid to rest.) Meanwhile, many bazaar stores have been draped in black in preparation for the ceremonies, as the video embedded below shows: