Iran's youth express discontent

Late June and early July witnessed massive student demonstrations in Tehran in protest of the clerical rule in the Islamic Republic.

The demonstrations led to mass round-up of students.

Student leaders and legislators said hundreds of students were arrested in cities across the country by plainclothes security officials.

The whereabouts of many of those detained was still unknown, they say. Iran's hard-liners in government threatened that these students face capital sentences for their disobedience.

Although the country witnessed several student demonstrations in the past few years, it seemed that conservatism was still the majority's trend in the country.

"Demonstrations were inflated by US media," said Hussein Kazem, owner of a souvenir shop in the bazaar of Tehran.

Reza, a taxi driver put it more clearly saying, "This country is a dictatorship, they [the demonstrators] are a few and they will be silenced by the regime sooner or later."

While defending people's right to protest, pro-reform Khatami -- whom protesters called on to resign during the recent demonstrations in Tehran and other cities -- has said little about the arrests.

But one cannot but notice some tension in Tehran. In the night, it is difficult to go to central Tehran, since the area surrounding the Tehran University is closed.

Checkpoints of the Passidge, the regime's militia, were everywhere in the city.

The Even prison for political detainees witnesses a great crowd every night.

Around two hundred people were gathered in front of its main gate in early July. Those were the relatives of the prisoners.

On a more general political level, the portraits of the country's leaders were everywhere too: Late Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeiny's, the 1979 Islamic revolution's leader, portrait is usually at the top followed by that of the republic's spiritual leader Ali Khamenei under it and sometimes followed the picture of Iranian President Mohammed Khatami.

In addition, posters of Iranian martyrs, who died in the war against Iraq, were all over the streets of Tehran and other cities.

They were displayed on a large scale and with fine organization, unlike the chaotic way in which martyrs pictures are found in Beirut's southern suburb.

Huge paintings of the dome of the rock on building sides are quite frequent.

Some of those paintings have on them the logo of the Passidge, similar to the insignia of the Lebanese Hizbullah; a hand carrying an AK47 rifle.

Politics were also everywhere but not in a coercive manner. There are no Islam Enforcement Brigades here and you do not have to stop all activities at each prayer time. Nevertheless, the media always broadcast speeches of religious leaders and slogans of the Islamic revolution which are sometimes translated to English.

Each hotel room has a copy of the Holy Quran, a prayer carpet with a prayer stone inside it and a large arrow on the ceiling pointing to Mecca.

Men are not allowed to wear shorts although some hotels have swimming pools. People are not allowed to go from the room to the pool wearing shorts.

But Iranian women work in all kinds of professions and in all positions, they even shake hands with men freely. They are mostly dressed in black, just like most of the men are.

Economically speaking, the private sector plays a minor role in Iran and the government is still the main employer. Even the hotels are in the hands of the government. No payment by credit card is possible here. Although the country is a major oil producer, Iranian banks don't have a strong international reputation. The government must be very rich but nothing of its revenues seems to be reinvested in the country. Public facilities such as airports, roads, telephone networks or street lighting are very old.

Even Ahwaz, the city where all the oil industry is concentrated and hence, where most of the country's income is produced, has no decent road network.

But one should appreciate the fact that almost everything you use in Iran is produced locally. Cars, home appliances, electrical devices, clothes, construction materials have all their mills in the country.

Some of those are international brands such as Renault and Peugeot, and they are all over the streets in Tehran. Iranians are in general eager to learn and to import technologies into their country. The educational system is quite efficient and free, most Iranians speak English.