Article Author:
Associated Press
BAGHDAD (AP) — Shiites in Iraq and Lebanon said Tuesday as they mark Ashora, one of the most important dates in the religious calendar, which commemorates the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad. They chanted, they marched, they beat their chests. grandson Hussein.
Shia symbols of piety and repentance covered major Iraqi cities. Hussein was believed to have been killed in 680 AD at the Battle of Karbala, south of Baghdad.
People gather in Karbala, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Baghdad, to celebrate the solemn holy day.
The Shiites consider Hussein and his descendants to be the rightful successors of the Prophet. His murder at the hands of rival Islamists embodied the rift between Sunni and Shiite Islam that continues to shape the identity of today's Muslim minority.
Public Ashora ceremonies often heighten sectarian tensions in places such as Iraq, Lebanon and Pakistan, where the two main sects of Islam coexist.
Security forces have been on high alert against any violence, as Sunni militant groups considered Shia heretics have seized the opportunity to launch attacks in the past.
In Iraq, powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is using an emotional religious opportunity to stomp support for his movement and deepen divisions among the country's Shiites. . Unable to form a government, Iraq plunged further into political turmoil last week when thousands of al-Sadr supporters stormed and occupied the parliament building. Sit-ins have continued outside parliament, unable to convene parliamentarians, and fears of a civil war are growing.
Sadr's portrait hangs on nearly every door in the Shia-dominated suburbs of Baghdad in the city of Sadr. Marching men and boys displayed extreme enthusiasm at Tuesday's Ashora masochism ceremony.
"We inherited this from our fathers and grandfathers," said participant Hamza Abdul Jalil. "By God's will we continue on this path."
In Lebanon, processions have closed Shia areas across the country and Beirut's largest suburbs.
