JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Iran is preparing for the delayed funeral for its supreme leader four months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike. From Istanbul, NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi reports, the regime is staging this weekend's event as a show of force.
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UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Yelling, inaudible).
HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: In a video published by Iranian state media, a crowd of black-clad men chant as the coffin of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei moves through them.
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AL-SHALCHI: The coffin, painted in the Iranian flag, is placed on a stage, and a military band plays as world religious leaders walk up to say a prayer. This was the beginning of what will be larger ceremonies of Khamenei's dayslong funeral that start tomorrow. There will be memorial ceremonies and processions in Teheran and the city of Qom. Then the remains will be taken to Shia holy sites in Najaf and Karbala in Iraq. Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last February, will eventually be buried in his birthplace, Mashhad, next Thursday. Iranian state TV host Najmeddin Shariati says he is devastated and burying his body will feel so final.
NAJMEDDIN SHARIATI: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "We were at least happy that his body was with us for a while," he says.
Iranian authorities are expected to shut down streets and the airspace during the funeral days, telling all government employees to attend the ceremonies, and people are banned from going to work. But many Iranians say this isn't a moment worth noting. A 38-year-old doctor, who asks NPR not to use her name for fear of government retaliation, says good riddance.
UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "I don't care about which pit the body will be dumped in," she says. She hopes the funeral will be the end of a dark chapter for Iranians.
UNIDENTIFIED DOCTOR: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "It's as if this person never existed, and his sinister voice has been erased from everyone's memory," she says.
Even in his death, Khamenei remains a divisive figure in Iran. Thirty-three-year-old Fatmeh, who asks NPR to use her first name only because she fears the government, says she often argues about the legacy of the ayatollah with her family.
FATMEH: (Non-English language spoken).
AL-SHALCHI: "The ideology has really worked on my mother," Fatmeh says. "She sees Ali Khamenei as part of her religion." Fatmeh says, for her, the ayatollah's funeral is just another propaganda event. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, NPR News, Istanbul. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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