Shiite Muslims practice the solemn holy day of Ashura, which they mark with giant and gloomy gatherings, in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ashoura commemorates the 7th-century killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq with then-Caliph Yazid, to whom Hussein refused to pay allegiance.
“In essence, this is the story of the sacrifice of an ordinary devout figure,” said Noor Zaidi, who teaches hitale at the University of Maryland in Baltimore County and studies Shiite Islam. It is (also) the story of the family love circle between Hussein and those who were with him in Karbala. … It also has this kind of real revolutionary component, ”he said.
“What made it last so hard Array … is the fact that he has the ability to mingle with what I think other people have to get out of it.”
Ashoura Day falls on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram and is preceded by days of commemoration and commemoration. Public expressions of grievance in networks are related to Shiites. For many Sunnis, Ashoura is reminiscent of more than one event, adding the exodus from Egypt led by Moses.
In Iraq, pilgrims converge in the holy city of Karbala, the site of war and the home of a shrine committed to Imam Hussein.
But with the pandemic, Iraq’s most level-headed Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has encouraged others to mourn by other means, such as watching the commemorations online or on television from their homes.
People who attend public commemorations should adhere to physical conditioning guidelines, add social distancing and wear masks, with caps on the number of participants in accordance with local regulations in other countries, as reported from his office.
Saif Badr, spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Health and Environment, welcomed al-Sistani and called for compliance with fitness regulations.
“Our opinion is clear, ” said Badr. In general, we oppose congregations in all their forms, sometimes adding devotees “because of the pandemic. Some Iraqis do not pay attention to the call to the meeting.
In Pakistan, thousands of minority Shiite Muslims have piled up in parts of the country ahead of Ashura Day tomorrow, amid falling deaths and coronavirus infections. In his speech at a rally of Shiite Muslims in the city of Multan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi called on other people to adhere to social distancing regulations by observing Ashoura. Security forces have been deployed to Shiite places of worship to assist in secure public gatherings that had been targeted by militant teams in the past.
In interviews with The Associated Press, several Shiite Muslims told of how they are observing commemorations this year.
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NAJAF, IRAQ
On a typical day in the era of mourning preceding Ashoura day, Sayyid Sahib al-Yasseri buys rice, meat and other food in the morning for dinners that are served to those attending the memorial meetings. night.
Dressed in black clothing, he and others pay attention to Qur’aan recitations, devoted meetings, and lamentations. Some other people bury their faces in their palms crying. Other grieving people rhythmically beat their chests in pain.
“There are tears and pain for Imam Hussein,” al-Yasseri said.
This year, the rituals were held outdoors, he said, and the men distributed disposable masks and disinfectant on outstretched hands.
Al-Yasseri wore a mask for coronavirus reasons, but did not skip the commemorations.
“If God infects me, I will,” he says.
Al-Yasseri estimated that around 750 more people participated on the night of the rally, fewer than in previous years due to the pandemic.
On the Day of Ashura, which falls on Sunday in Iraq, at least one of its traditions will remain unchanged: the donation of blood.
“I give for the advantage of others,” al-Yasseri said, “and for the love of Imam Hussein.”
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NABATIYEH, LEBANON
Ashoura comes when Lebanon is shaken only by the pandemic, but also by the economic difficulties and consequences of a large explosion that ravaged its capital this month.
Amid a partial coronavirus lockdown, Lebanon’s two largest Shiite teams, the militant organization Hezbollah and the Amal motion of Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, suggested to others that they mark Ashoura at home on television. and social networks.
Yasser Qameh, who for decades in the afterlife has attended public rallies each and every night of the mourning period, watched from home this year.
“I see it on TV or On YouTube, as long as I don’t mix with people,” Qameh said on the phone from his southern City of Lebanon, which is generally a big place in Ashoura. “The difference is like watching a football game on TV instead of being in the stadium.”
This year, Qameh said, despite curfew, other people gather every night in a village square with masks, temperature controls and separate plastic chairs.
Typically, tens of thousands of people attend Nabatiyeh’s annual Ashura ceremonies, with some men cutting off their heads and hitting their heads as blood drips onto white garments to symbolize ‘Imam Hussein’s pain. Those scenes are criticized by some Shiite clerics who denounce the ritual.
Qameh is also abandoning some other culture this year. Normally, he distributed water, juice and a special dish called Harisa, composed of wheat and poultry or beef, to participants from other regions.
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HICKSVILLE, NEW YORK
In the United States, some Shiite communities broadcast commemorations online.
In Hicksville, on Long Island, New York, Fatima Mukhi-Siwji is unhappy that her 10-month-old daughter does not participate in the rituals.
“I grew up in the mosque,” he says, in a sizzling voice of emotion. “How is it intended to teach our children? How is Imam Hussein intended to teach them (about)
But shortly before the start of Muharram, a number of Shiite Muslims from different communities, including Mukhi-Siwji’s father, teamed up to organize drive-in commemorations to safely mark the occasion, she said.
Held at a movie theater’s outdoor parking lots, they feature scholarly sermons, poetry recitals, chanting and lamentations as families listen from their cars and watch on large screens. Some get out of their cars and watch or engage in chest beating mourning rituals while social distancing, she said.
The occasions attracted many cars and, Mukhi-Siwji said, revived a sense of cordiality that was so lacking.
“It’s such an electrifying experience,” he said. “It goes through your whole body.”
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Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida and Mroue from Beirut, Lebanon. Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmed has contributed from Islamabad, Pakistan.