Word of the day...

Iran's 'basij' (a word appearing in multiple tweets from that country) deconstructed here...

Basij (the name means "mobilisation") are commanded by a senior cleric but are subordinate to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which in turn answers to the supreme leader of the revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The fatal shooting in Tehran's Azadi Square during Monday's massive protest march — the peak of the unrest so far — arose from a clash between basiji and pro-Mousavi demonstrators. Basiji are also said to have attacked students in Tehran University dormitories, along with police. Seven other people were killed, apparently also with the involvement of the militiamen.

...Basij units were first formed to provide volunteers for "human wave" attacks during the Iran-Iraq war in the early 1980s. Instead of using mine-clearing equipment, basiji were ordered to go through minefields and told they would become martyrs and go to paradise. Ayatollah Khomeini also decreed that women could join the basij, a decision that produced arresting images of women in black chadors carrying sub-machine guns and marching in military formation.