The tragedy of losing their children is more heart-wrenching than any religious mourning.

From the nineteenth to the twenty-first day of the month of Ramadan, Shia Muslims observe the religious occasion of "Laylat al-Qadr". During these nights, Shia Muslims engage in prayer and worship, as they commemorate the assassination of Ali, the first Shia Imam, which they believe occurred on this date.

This year, in the wake of the Iranian government's violent suppression of the national uprising, which led to the deaths of hundreds of Iranian youth and children, many Iranians refrained from holding ceremonies for their own Laylat al-Qadr. The families of those killed during the uprising have expressed that the tragedy of losing their children is more heart-wrenching than any religious mourning.