Fueled by the death of a leading Muslim cleric, violent clashes between the Iranian government's security forces and anti-government protestors have resulted in hundreds of arrests and several deaths during the last weeks of 2009. The Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazer, who died on December 19, was a highly respected figure in Shia Islam and an outspoken critic of the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.