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Holy Days in the Crossfire: Jerusalem’s Passover and Easter Fall Silent

  The faithful attend a Palm Sunday mass at the Monastery of Saint Saviour in Jerusalem's Old City on March 29, 2026. | Jerusalem is entering what should be one of its most vibrant seasons under an unusually heavy pall, as the ongoing Iran war forces the city’s sacred spaces into lockdown and its residents into a subdued observance of Passover and Easter.  Major holy sites across the Old City—normally alive with worshippers, pilgrims, and tourists—now sit shuttered behind metal doors. The narrow stone alleyways echo with only the occasional footsteps, a stark contrast to the typical spring surge of visitors celebrating the Jewish and Christian holidays. Families, exhausted by weeks of conflict, face a season traditionally marked by renewal with a sense of fatigue and uncertainty.  The war’s reach has been felt even in areas historically spared from direct attack. Intercepted Iranian missiles have scattered shrapnel near the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and along the roa...

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Iranian Government Labels Female Student Who Stripped in Public as ‘Troubled’

 

In a recent incident at Tehran’s Islamic Azad University, a female student stripped to her underwear in what many perceived as a protest against Iran’s strict Islamic dress code. The government has since labeled the student as a “troubled individual” rather than a security threat.

The student, identified on social media as Ahoo Daryaei, undressed on Saturday, an act that quickly went viral. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated that the student is receiving treatment and emphasized that the issue is being approached from a social perspective rather than a security one.

The incident has sparked significant attention on social media, with many viewing it as a continuation of the protests that erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Amini’s death while in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules had previously ignited widespread demonstrations across the country.

Authorities have transferred Daryaei from a police station to a treatment center, though details of her treatment remain undisclosed. The government has not pressed any criminal charges against her, focusing instead on addressing her mental health needs.


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