Ramadan is an especially holy time for Muslims - the entire month is taken up by fasting and various festive events. Breaking one's fast during Ramadan days is treated very harshly. In Iran, it cost a 14-year-old boy his life.

Iran Press News reports that he had received 85 lashes for breaking the fast and died afterwards:

[T]he young man´s identity has not been disclosed. He was scheduled for burial on Saturday, November 13th (after 3 days at the local morgue), in the cemetery of Beheshteh Mohammadi in Sanandadj. However due to the public´s realization of the events surrounding the boy´s circumstances the cemetery was stormed [in protest] and his burial did not take place.

The report doesn't explain whether people stormed the cemetery because they were angry at the boy and didn't want him buried there or if they were angry at the boy being killed for his infraction and were attacking the injustice of the whole situation. I hope that it was the latter, but considering how irrational and inhumane a mob mentality can get we can't exclude the possibility of the former. A sad commentary on the state of the human race, isn't it?

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