Iran: The end of Ramadan · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Angus McDowall is a correspondent for Middle East Economic Digest and reporter for The Independent in Iran and he is blogging. About the end of Ramadan he says for a journalist, it can be a good time of year to check the social temperature. Some years the police hassle people who break the fast and crack down more heavily over parties and Islamic dress. This year things seem pretty relaxed. It's common to see people smoking in cars or on mopeds, confident nobody will say anything. In meetings, you are still sometimes offered a cup of tea or a plate of fruit, with your host tucking in too. And in Tehran parks, it is not unusual to see people eating a surreptitious sandwich.